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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Baccalaureate and 

Convocation 

Sermons 



W^ BY 

E. VrZOLLARS, A. M., LL. D. 

PRESIDENT OF PHILLIPS 
CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 

Author of 

"The Great Salvation," "Hebrew Prophecy," 

"The Word of Truth," "The King of 

Kings," "The Commission 

Executed," etc. 



Designed for Ministers of the Gospel^ 

Graduates^ Undergraduates and 

*Bihle Students Generally 



CINC INN ATI, o. 

THE STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

19 12 






Copyright, 1913 
Thb Standard Publishing Co. 



©CI.A332890 



To the graduates who went forth during my administration 

from the institutions over which, in the good 

providence of God, I have been 

permitted to preside, this 

volume is lovingly 

dedicated 



INTRODUCTION 



Year by year, for many years, graduates have been 
going forth from the schools over which it has been my 
privilege to preside, to take their places in the strenuous 
activities of this busy world. In all I have had the honor 
to act officially in sending forth thirty-one graduating 
classes : eight from schools in Kentucky ; fourteen from 
Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio ; four from the Texas 
Christian University, and five from Oklahoma Christian 
University. It often fell upon me to preach the bac- 
calaureate and convocation sermons. It was the universal 
custom at Hiram for the president to give both of these 
addresses, from which custom I did not depart while I 
was president of that institution. These sermons were 
necessarily carefully prepared, and embraced my best 
thoughts along lines that I deemed most advantageous to 
those entering upon student life, and to those going out 
as graduates to do the work of life. I have decided to 
put these sermons in book form, believing that they will 
be appreciated by my old students and be, as I trust, of 
some benefit to them. Furthermore, this is getting to be 
a day of graduating addresses. High schools are spring- 
ing up all over the country, offering courses almost equal 
to the college courses of fifty years ago. It is getting to 
be the fashion to call upon the preachers to address the 
graduating classes from these high schools, and a book 
of such addresses in which subjects appropriate to such 
occasions are discussed, may not be uninteresting or 

vii 



viii INTRODUCTION 

unwelcome to preachers in general who are frequently 
called upon for such services. We send this volume 
forth, hoping that it may have a mission for good. 

I have not hesitated to gather material from ser- 
mons and addresses that suited my purpose. I have fre- 
quently drawn thoughts and forceful sentences from the 
great London preacher, Joseph Parker. In a few cases 
J have gotten valuable ideas from the great English 
preacher, Frederick W. Robertson. In two or three in- 
stances I have also drawn a few thoughts from The 
Homilist, an English periodical that ran for years, but 
was discontinued. Other thoughts I have gotten from 
sources that I now no longer remember. I have tried to 
give proper credit for thoughts and quotations. If I have 
failed in any case, it is because I am not able to trace 
the source of the thought that should be credited, but, 
whether credited or not, the reader will not suffer any 
loss, as doubtless anything I may have borrowed is 
better on that account. 



CONTENTS 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS. 

Page. 

I. Character and Work of the Prepared Man 3 

II. The True Method of Lifting Up the World 13 

III. The Conditions of Successful Life 22 

IV. The Sheltering Rock 31 

V. Saving Others the True Work of Life 44 

VI. The Conditions ox Which the Prize of Life is 

Won 52 

VII. Wisdom the Portion of the Soul 69 

VIII. The Ideal Manhood and How to Attain It 83 

IX. The Governing Principle of Life 96 

X. Vision as Influencing Life 104 

XI. Duality the True Unity 115 

XII. Children of God or Fruitful Men 127 

XIII. Man's Mission in the World 140 

XIV. The Value of Confidence 150 

XV. The Highest Definition of Man 158 

XVI. Feeding the ]\Iultitudes and Saving the Frag- 

ments 176 

XVII. The Possessor Justified 183 

CONVOCATION SERMONS. 

I. The Irreparable Past and the Available Future. 195 

II. Mother Nature : A Great Teacher 202 

HI. The True Road to Dominion 207 

IV. The Necessary Conditions of a True Education.. 214 

V. Successful Life : Its Crises, Its Hindrances, Its 

Helps 223 

is 



X CONTENTS 

VI. The Danger to Be Avoided and the Good to Be 

Desired in the Young 230 

VII. Knowledge and Its Logical Sequence 236 

VIII. A Dangerous Adviser 247 

IX. The Priceless Treasure 252 

X. The True Disciple 25& 

XI. The Gate and the Way unto Life 266 

XII. The Abundant Life 275 

XIII. Better is the End than the Beginning 291 

XIV. How to Save the Soul 296 

XV. The Harvest is Past : A Cry of Victory or of 

Despair 302 

XVI. The Most Deplorable Ignorance 309 

XVII. The Minuteness of the Divine Directions 316 



PART FIRST 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 



Baccalaureate Sermons 



SERMON I. 

The Character and Work o£ the Prepared Man"^ 

Text.' — Isa. 42 : 1-4 : "Behold my servant, whom I uphold ; 
my elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon 
him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall 
not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the 
street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax 
shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment 
in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law." 

I. In Jesus Christ we have a type of the true man. 
In everything that Jesus did or was, he gives us a picture 
of what the true man ought to do and be. This was 
Paul's conception as is shown by the language, "Be ye 
followers of me, even as I am of Christ." 
'l To be like Christ should, therefore, be the aim of 
every true man. The attainment of this is pointed out 
as the highest consummation of individual destiny by 
the apostle John when he says : ''We know that when he 
shall appear we shall be Hke him, for we shall see him 
as he is." Was Jesus a worker? Did he feed, heal, in- 
struct men? If so, in these lines lies the work of every 
man. Was Jesus sympathetic? Was he cosmopolitan 



*For helpful suggestions in preparing this sermon, I am in- 
debted to Parker's "People's Bible," pp. 159-166. 



4 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

in his feelings? Did he incarnate his truth? Did he 
freely sacrifice himself for men? Then, in all this he 
was a model for every man. 

2. (By this, then, I would not be understood as teach- 
ing that there can be absolute equality between men. 
This can never be the case. Some men are born to lead 
and others to follow, but all can serve. Some fly low 
amidst the mist and clouds, while others can soar to 
proud heights and see in God's clear sunlight, but all 
can fly.; Much less would I have you think that all can 
stand on the same high level that Christ occupied. Jesus 
Christ was God manifest in the flesh and hence infinite 
in all his perfections. We can, however, be like him in 
kind, if not in degree. We are hedged in by limitations. 
Each man's field is limited. There are bounds to his 
powers and possibilities. Some are larger, some smaller, 
but all finite. In kind, however, it is possible for every 
one to be like Christ; just as the water in the glass may 
be like the water in the fountain, but much more limited. 

3. With this idea in mind I wish to study the language 
which I have quoted from the prophet Isaiah. Centuries 
before Christ came to earth the prophet pointed forward 
to him in this striking and beautiful language. He was 
the perfect man, the one who was equally strong at 
every point, the one who showed no blemish in his char- 
acter or life, the one for whom the ages waited in ever- 
increasing expectancy, and before whom the wisest and 
best bow in reverence. In the secondary sense, I take 
this language as descriptive of every true and well-quali- 
fied man who goes forth to the work of life. I take it, 
therefore, as a photograph of what you, my dear young 
people, are, or, if not, of what you ought to be, and I 
wish to make this the occasion of pointing out to you 
the prominent features presented in the picture. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 5 

I gather from this study of the typical man: 
(^' \I. That the office of the true man is that of servant. ) 

1. This feature of the Christ-Hfe is very wonderful. 
Jesus was fully endowed as an individual. "He was 
God manifest in the flesh." ''He thought it not a prize 
to be equal with God." *Tn him dwelt all the fulness 
of the Godhead bodily." "He was the only begotten Son 
of God, full of grace and truth." If ever a person by 
rank of origin or qualification was lifted above the plane 
of service, Jesus was that person, yet no one ever laid 
more emphasis on the service of life than he. "I came 
down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the 
will of him that sent me." "Though he was a son, yet 
learned he obedience by the things he suffered." "Lo, 
I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, to 
do thy will, O God." "I must be about my Father's 
business." "The Son of man came not to be ministered 
unto, but to minister." 

Jesus was also most explicit in his teaching as to the 
duty of others in the line of service. "Whosoever would 
be great among you shall be your minister, and whoso- 
ever would be first among you shall be servant to all."] 
He also typified the duty of humble service by girding 
himself with a towel and washing his disciples' feet, 
saying so do to one another. 

2. It is a most disastrous misconception to attach to 
the idea of service that of degradation. No man was 
ever degraded by honest work for others, but the man 
who proudly and haughtily lifts himself above service 
in reality debases himself^.j Let no one imagine that 
official position lifts man above the plane of service. 
The opposite is true. As we ascend in the gradation of 
official rank the intensity of service due to all below 
increases?) The greatest servant is the most exalted man 



6 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

— ^the first in rank is the servant of all. We are told 
that in the great day of judgment the rewards will be be- 
stowed on the grounds of service. ''Well done, good and 
faithful servant." 

II. That the true man is a dependent man. "Whom 
I uphold." 

1. A feeling of independence or self-sufficiency is a 
great misfortune. Herein is one great function of edu- 
cation : it is to teach the individual dependence. True 
education always makes a man humble. The really edu- 
cated man feels that what he knows is the merest frag- 
ment of what may be known. He also feels the limita- 
tions of his own powers. Great men as a rule have been 
very humble men. 

2. The feeling of dependence on God is, however, of 
greatest value. The man who leans on the divine arm 
is, other things being equal, the strongest man. To 
lean on God means to multiply the finite by the infinite. 
Young people, I would have you remember that God's 
men are always upheld by God. He is the strong man 
who feels the arms of the Infinite around him and be- 
neath him. Jesus recognized this necessity when he 
said: "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the 
world." This language was primarily spoken to men 
educated in the apostolic college, yet they were by no 
means independent men. I trust you will feel every hour 
of every day that you are upheld by the strong hand of 
God. If your education has been such as to make you 
feel this in all of its mighty force, it is a cause for re- 
joicing. The proud, self-sufficient man is usually a small 
man. All great souls are conscious of dependence. 

III. The true man is an elect or chosen man. 

I. A man may regard the work of life as accidental. 
Whatever comes to him he feels to be the result of 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 7 

chance. There are no converging Hnes of Providence 
that focus in him. Everything is isolated and accidental. 
Such a man never magnifies the occasion. To him the 
opportunities never seem great. God forbid that any of 
you should come to your work with any such feeling. 
To do so is to invite, nay, rather to insure, failure. 

2. It is also possible for a man to realize that he is 
an elect man ; to feel that he has been chosen of God. 
This is a sublime confidence, and it is well grounded. 
Every true man is chosen of God. Lines of Providence 
center in him. For him the world has waited. He has 
a work to do for which he is better fitted than any one 
else. Real life should never be regarded as an accident. 
Each individual should feel that he is a calculated part 
of God's great plan. God saw him from the beginning. 
He comes to fill the place divinely appointed. This takes 
all the littleness and meanness out of life and makes it a 
sublime and noble thing. It places man in a great suc- 
cession and links him with the eternal past and im- 
measurable future. 

IV. The true man is God's delight. "In whom my 
soul delighteth." 

1. This is a most inspiring and a most suggestive 
statement. It involves the outleading of all human 
powers. The father delights in the son who honors him 
in what he is. The teacher delights in the pupil who is 
intellectually acute, and who makes the most of his 
opportunities. The mechanic delights in the piece of 
mechanism that honors him by doing its work well. 

2. In all this we get a suggestion as to the meaning 
of the words : 'Tn whom my soul delighteth." Man as 
the creature of God must do in a strong way the work 
for which he was intended, in order to cause delight. 
And notice that this word ''strong" is an important word 



8 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

in this connection. God wants everything done in a 
strong way. The oak-tree, the blade of grass, the singing 
bird, must all do their work in a strong way to be 
pleasing to God. The same is true of men. The world 
is tired of having things done in a weak way. No matter 
what your calling may be, the world wants the work 
done with strength and power. To meet this there must 
be energy, determination and adaptation. Do what you 
are able to do and you will do it with power. Horace 
says : ''Consider well what your shoulders are able to 
bear and what they refuse to bear." 

V. The true man has a radical work to perform. 
"He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." 

1. It is never man's mission to pander to his own 
lusts or seek his selfish interests. Whenever education 
is held as a merely personal possession it is diverted 
from its real purpose. To so use it is to defraud the 
world and misappropriate the gifts of benevolent men. 
For every dollar the student pays, some one has to pay 
five dollars. By what right can any one take this gift? 
Simply on the ground that his education is not a per- 
sonal possession. It is given to the one for the sake of 
the many. 

2. The mission of the true man is not to amuse men. 
True, he sometimes does a good thing who makes men 
laugh, but this is never radical. It is a mere passing 
incident that has no deep meaning. Man's great duty 
consists in moving the consciences of men. He is here 
to exercise judgment, to right wrongs. ''Right" is the 
key that is to unlock every prison door. "Right" is the 
medicine that is to cure the world's pain. "Right" is the 
battle-cry for every conflict. "He shall bring forth 
judgment." He is the man the world needs, and never 
more than now. He shall excite wonder, cause amuse- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS . 9 

ment. This may do as a mere interlude, but the real 
business is judgment. This meant thought, considera- 
tion, justice, right, conscience. 

VI. The true man has a method of work peculiar 
to himself. 

1. He is not a man of noisy, declamatory speech. 
"He shall not cry nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be 
heard in the street." Do not imagine a man is great in 
proportion to the noise he makes in the world. Noisy 
men as a rule are small men. The rivulet makes more 
noise than the river, the chattering sparrow than the 
majestic eagle, the barking poodle than the great mastiff. 
Some men are noisy declaimers. They want to have an 
altercation. They wish to hurl epithets. This is a poor 
business. When Elijah was hid in the cave a wind 
passed by that rent the rocks, but the Lord was not in 
the wind ; and after the wind an earthquake ; and after 
the earthquake a fire ; and after the fire a still small 
voice. It is the still small voice that pierces the heart 
and reaches the conscience that has power. H you wish 
to move men, speak soul-searching words. Gravitation 
is a great force, but it does not cry nor lift up its voice. 
All great forces are quiet forces. The noisy are spas- 
modic. 

2. He uses his power with moderation and discretion. 
He is thoughtful and considerate in his effort. ''The 
bruised reed he will not break." We sometimes think 
that power is all that is needed. This is a fatal mistake. 
We need restraint as well as power. Power must be 
exercised with deliberation and judgment. The power 
of the boiler must be restrained in order to be made 
useful. Unrestrained power is destructive. Here men 
have often failed. Here Rome failed. She had power, 
but she broke the bruised reeds. "Let the fittest sur- 



10 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

vive," we say. Let the strong put down the weak. Let 
the rich oppress the poor. The true man says no. ''The 
bruised reed he shall not break." He sees the bruised, 
damaged reed and immediately sets about to repair it. 
VII. The true man has the assurance of success. 
"He shall not fail nor be discouraged." 

1. It is very common for men to face life's work 
with feelings of deep anxiety. "What shall the harvest 
be?" This is a very common question. I wish to im- 
press upon you the thought that there is no necessity for 
failure. God offers to issue a policy on your lifework. 
You may have it on condition. Observe the necessary 
obligations of true Hfe, and God says, I pledge your 
success. All heaven becomes security to the true man. 
There are immense reserves of power behind God's men. 
"Lo, I am with you alway." "He that goeth forth weep- 
ing, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again 
with rejoicing." "He shall not fail." Go forth in God's 
strength to do God's work and your history is even now 
written. 

2. There is another important clause here to which 
we will do well to give heed. "Nor be discouraged *^ 
The discouraged man is always a weak man. Let nie 
warn you against pessimism. Never take discouraging 
views of things. Always be hopeful and never resign. 
Anybody can resign, any one can give up, any one can 
go back. Listen to this prophetic utterance concerning 
God's elect and know that it means you in a secondary 
sense: "He shall not fail nor be discouraged." 

3. All this does not mean that you will have no 
trouble. You will doubtless see many dark days. Your 
brows may become furrowed with sorrow or care. Many 
times you will lie down with aching limbs and throbbing 
brow, but do not give up. The true man never does. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 11 

Faith is a night bird. It can sing in the darkness. It 
is a bird of the storm. It plumes its pinions for loftiest 
flight when the skies are filled with tempest. 

VIII. The true man speaks the universal tongue. 
^*He shall set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall 
wait for his law." 

1. Jesus Christ was a far-sighted man. His vision 
swept the wide horizon. He was never small in his feel- 
ings or purposes. He spake a universal language. His 
works find an echo in the universal heart. No other 
man has ever been able to set judgment in the earth. 
Wherever he sets up his throne the people bow before it, 
and there is no place too mean or small for him. The 
obscure, forgotten places are great in his eyes. Even the 
little isles that nobody cares for are places of dominion 
for him. 

2. Here is the qualification we well may covet. We 
are so prone to be narrow in feeling. We drift into ruts. 
We take small views of life. Oh that God would give 
you all to understand to-day that you belong to humanity 
and not to any race, nationality or class ! God give you 
power to speak the universal tongue and feel the uni- 
versal want. 

I trust that your education has taken you not simply 
into a beautiful room full of finest specimens of litera- 
ture and art, where only the cultured can resort; but 
rather up into an exceedingly high motmtain under the 
overarching canopy of God's great sky, where you can 
see all the kingdoms of the world and feel the kinship 
that exists between every son and daughter of Adam's 
race. One once came to this earth possessed of such a 
spirit, and angel choirs heralded his advent. If you 
have caught this spirit, then are you educated indeed. 
Heavenly choirs are celebrating this event in hallelujah 



12 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

songs that thrill the angelic hosts. Listen : In imagina- 
tion I can hear the song that once in the stillness of the 
night fell on the wondering ears of the shepherds on 
Judea's plains. **Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good will toward men." Good will to men. 
Not wise men, mighty men, cultured men, but all men. 
1 rusting, believing, that this is the sentiment of your 
heart, we bid you go forth, knowing that in going you 
bear with you our benediction and our prayers. 



SERMON II. 

The True Method of Lifting Up the World 

Text, — ^John 12 : 32 : "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, 
will draw all men unto me." 

With Christ, Calvary was an ever-present reality. Is 
it not marvelously strange that Christ should say, If I 
die an ignominious death on the cross, I will by doing so 
draw all men unto me ? Let us study this event : 

1. The lifting up here referred to means primarily 
his literal lifting up on the cross. Christ in his conver- 
sation with Nicodemus referred to the lifting up of the 
brazen serpent by Moses, and claims it as a type of his 
own uplifting: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
wilderness, so shall the Son of man be lifted up." On 
the mountain of transfiguration, when Christ talked with 
Moses and Elijah, Calvary was the subject of conver- 
sation. After the conversation near Caesarea Philippi 
we read: "From that time forth began Jesus to show 
unto his disciples how he must go unto Jerusalem, and 
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and 
scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third 
day." 

2. The importance of the scene on Calvary is shown 
also by the prominence given to it in prophecy. The 
animal sacrifice from Abel onward pointed to it. They 
were all prophetic. Verbal prophecies became more 
abundant and specific as the prophets approached this 
event in the Messianic life. In the language of the text, 
Christ makes it the condition of the world's uplifting. 

13 



14 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

1. By the scene on Calvary here brought to view 
we may learn that the Christ-life is a gradual as- 
cent. 

Christ's life seems to have conformed to the universal 
rule that holds among all great lives. He came into the 
world an infant, with the limitations of infancy upon 
him. He was unfolded by a gradual process conforming 
to the child manner of development. Jesus, we are told, 
increased in wisdom and stature.* His growth was 
doubtless more rapid and the goal far beyond the possi- 
bilities of other children, still he conformed to the child 
manner of growth. Need this be considered a strange 
thing? May not God, for the accomplishment of his 
purpose of giace, have subjected himself temporarily 
to the human limitations and conformed to the human 
processes of development? Christ's experiences served 
a? a gradual unfolding of his divine nature which flashed 
out so grandly on Calvary. 

2. It is well for us to remember that all great life is 
the result of development, and that, too, a very gradual 
one. We can fall down or slide down, but we can not 
fall up or slide up very far. We, in the upward ascent, 
can never gain impetus enough to carry us forward after 
our effort ceases. The poet very truly says : 

"The heights by great men reached and kept 
Were not attained by sudden flight, 
But they, while their companions slept, 
Were toiling upward in the night." 

Calvary is the climactic point in the moral and spirit- 
ual elevation of Christ. Here it is that the highest con- 
ceivable elevation of character is seen and the highest 



^Robertson's Sermons, pp. 353-362. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 15 

moral achievement witnessed, showing as it does the 
most complete unselfishness. 

II. A brief survey of some of the significant acts in 
the drama of Christ's life will help us to see the won- 
derful and sublime elevation displayed by the scene on 
Calvary. 

1. When Christ entered on his personal ministry at 
the age of thirty, he probably became conscious for the 
first time of the possession of supernatural power. This 
is not an unreasonable supposition. The circumstances 
were of a very extraordinary and startling character. 
The miraculous displays at his baptism, the descent of 
the dove and the heavenly voices were calculated to 
deeply impress him. The conduct of John the Baptist 
toward him, and his language, would have a like effect. 
''Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of 
the world." 'T have need to be baptized of thee, and 
comest thou to me?" These were certainly most im- 
pressive and wonderful words. The apostle John tells 
us that Christ had wrought no miracles before this time. 
If he was conscious of having the power before this 
time, he had not used it. 

2. Can we picture to ourselves the excitement of 
mind which the discovery of such a power would beget? 
Christ's retirement into the wilderness after his baptism 
was the most natural thing in the world. A great 
mental struggle at such a time is what we naturally 
would expect, nay, which must have taken place. The 
tumult in Christ's soul is so great that for forty days 
he fasts, probably unconscious of physical wants. Would 
not the discovery of unlimited power to heal diseases, 
control nature and raise the dead be calculated to pro- 
duce such a condition of mind as Christ seems to have 
passed through? 



16 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

3. If I mistake not, the discovery of this power is the 
key that serves to unlock the mysteries of this tempta- 
tion.* 

(i) With this in mind, let us study for a moment 
the first temptation. The excitement has now passed 
by, the reaction has set in. He is conscious of hunger, 
no doubt also of extreme weakness. Now comes the 
tempter: ''If thou be the Son of God, command that 
these stones be made bread." What shall he do with his 
wonderful power under the circumstances? We might 
suppose, as a matter of course, he would use it for his 
own personal help. This was the suggestion of the 
tempter, and so says worldly wisdom. The possession 
of any special or extraordinary power is the greatest 
temptation by which virtue can be assailed. Few men 
can possess uncommon power without abusing it. When 
the advantage that comes from precept and example is 
taken away, a more trying position than that in which 
Christ was now placed can not well be imagined. How 
will Christ use his newly discovered power? Will he be 
elated? Will he be proud of it? Such would be very 
human at least. On the contrary, he seems awe-struck 
and humble. There is not the slightest trace of vanity 
and self-sufficiency. Let me admonish you, my dear 
young people, to earnestly seek to be delivered from 
pride and arrogance. There is nothing more unlovely. 
Pray for humility, pray for the child spirit, if you wish 
to be useful. It is really the condition on which knowl- 
edge may be secured. Christ accepts this gift of power 
as a gift in trust to be used for other and higher pur- 
poses than mere selfish ends. He declines to make a 



*"Inner Life of Christ," Parker; chapters on the temptation 
of Christ. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 17 

selfish use of his power. "It is written, Man shall not 
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth 
out of the mouth of God." Wonderful answer in which 
divinity shines forth. 

(2) The second temptation discloses the same great 
lesson. In the first temptation Christ shows his entire 
reliance on God. Christ is placed on the pinnacle of the 
temple. Now says the tempter : *'Cast thyself down, for 
it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee." 
You profess to trust in God, put your trust and pro- 
fession to a practical test seems to be the thought Satan 
urges. It is an appeal to consistency. Then, too, there 
enters the element of human glory. What wonder will 
be excited ! What praise will be called forth ! Use your 
power to win human glory. Christ again rises to a sub- 
lime height. "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." 
He in effect said, I will not use my power to win ap- 
plause or glory. I will hold it for the purpose for which 
it was given. 

(3) The third temptation emphasizes in a still more 
potent way the same wonderful lesson. Christ is taken 
to an exceeding high mountain ; Satan says, See the 
kingdoms of the world. Use your power for the pur- 
pose of gaining dominion. "All these things I will give 
thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me." This in 
effect meant, use force for conquest, call into requisition 
your phenomenal power to gain universal empire. The 
man who conquers men by force for selfish ends, can 
perform no greater act of homage to Satan. This 
temptation was very strong. Christ came to build a king- 
dom. Why not use his power in its accomplishment? 
The prophet said: "He shall put all enemies under his 
feet." Why not, then, use his power? He declined, 
however, to use force. "Get thee behind me, Satan. It 



18 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God." The 
struggle is over, the victory won. Henceforth he moves 
onward as calm and serene as a May morning. Christ 
steadily adhered to the policy here disclosed. He never 
used his gifts of power for personal ends. He never 
wrought a miracle to gratify curiosity. He never showed 
any vanity over his power. The grandest thing con- 
ceivable is the use of power for the ends for which it 
is given. To use wealth in this way is great. To use 
intellectual power this way is noble. To accept all God's 
blessings as gifts in trust for the use of mankind is to 
reach the highest ideal. 

4. Here we raise the question, What was Christ's 
greatest masterpiece? 

The great artists, authors, poets have their master- 
pieces. The great sculptor may chisel many beautiful 
images, but one transcends all others. By reason of this 
the sculptor lives through the ages. What was the mas- 
terpiece wrought out by this divine artist? Was it his 
wisdom? Gifts of wisdom are great. Never man spake 
as this man. Never man thought as he. Never man 
planned as he. But this is not his crowning excellence. 
W^as it his miracle-working power? This is wonderful, 
a blessed power when used as he used it. To heal the 
sick, how blessed ! To comfort the sorrowing, how 
beneficent ! To raise the dead, how godlike ! But this 
was not his chiefest glory. Was it the power of sym- 
pathy? This was truly wonderful and godlike, but this 
was not the masterpiece. I think we may safely say it 
v/as his ability, in utter self-forgettingness, to use his 
gifts of power for the highest ends for which they were 
given. 

5. On Calvary this masterpiece received its finishing 
touches. From this sublime height Christ reaches down 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 19 

to lift up a world. The baptism of Christ showed great 
moral elevation : the elevation of infinite power conde- 
scending to complete and perfect obedience. No man is 
educated who has not learned to obey. The first tempta- 
tion discloses a still greater elevation. Christ refuses to 
subordinate infinite power to personal physical wants. 
The second temptation discloses a still greater eleva- 
tion: Christ refusing to use his power for acquiring 
personal glory. The third temptation showed still 
greater elevation : Christ refusing to use his power to 
acquire unlimited dominion. At Calvary we reach the 
mountain's summit. Why not call the twelve legions of 
angels? Why not wither his persecutors with a single 
glance of his eye? Why not come down from the cross 
to strike dismay into the hearts of his murderers? To 
have refused to use this power for his own personal ends 
under such provocation as he endured is the culmina- 
ting point in the Christ-life. No man who looks at this 
picture can ever under any circumstances find excuse for 
selfish use of power. 

III. It is from the sublime height of Calvary that 
Christ purposes to put forth the drawing force that 
shall lift up the world. 

I. We gather, then, from this fact that the world 
needs uplifting. Do not go through this world with the 
idea that this world needs nothing or that it is not capable 
of being made better. It is intellectually very low down. 
It is socially very far wrong. It is morally very corrupt. 
It is full of injustice and cruelty. It needs a great up- 
lifting. No man ever realized this so fully as did Christ. 
Oh for such eyes as he had! He was never misled by 
appearances. Gay clothing could not hide from his eyes 
moral pollution. This explains why he wept when he 
looked on the multitude. "He saw them as sheep with- 



20 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

out a shepherd ;" as corrupt, yet without true leaders. A 
real vision of a multitude is an affecting sight. We only 
see the surface, Christ saw the reality. 

2. We learn that this uplifting force must be a draw- 
ing force. No man can Hft up the world who stands 
below the common level. The lifter must himself be 
lifted up. All great reformers have been mountain men, 
they live in thought above the people. This is why we 
kill our prophets and afterward garnish their sepulchres. 

IV. How this drawing force can best be applied is 
also revealed. 

I. It is not by means of philosophical theory or senti- 
mentalism. Calvary meant crucifixion, and crucifixion 
is the only thing that will lift this world. 'Tf a man 
would be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up 
his cross, and follow me." Young people, you may have 
power by which you can turn stones into bread. Will 
you use it for self? No, rather crucify self. Take up 
your cross and follow the Master. You have a power by 
which you can win applause. Will you use it for self? 
No, trample upon self. Use your power for the end 
for which it was given. You have a power by which 
you can gain dominion. Will you use it for self? No,^ 
deny self. Ascend the mountain of Calvary. Be un- 
selfish as was your Leader, and from there reach down 
and lift up men. 

This calls to mind a great danger which we should 
by all means avoid. The pulpit has not always been in 
front of great reforms. Why is this so? Calvary has 
been shunned. There has been no crucifixion. To speak 
meant loss of place or social position. The college has 
not been conspicuous in moral reform. How truly sad 
is this. Calvary has been shunned. To speak means 
loss of patronage, of caste, of money. How few can 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 21 

face this and.be true. If you shun Calvary, you paralyze 
your power for good. You are like Samson shorn of 
his locks. 

2. One generous, unselfish action has more of lifting 
power than whole volumes of theory. Martin Luther 
before the "Roman Diet at Worms" by his action in- 
fused into the hearts of his sympathizers courage that 
could never be subdued. The world has never tired of 
looking at that sight. Christ when he ate with sinners 
put hope into their hopeless hearts more than by any 
words he could have spoken. Mary with her box of 
spikenard has filled the world with its aroma. 

3. The cords by which the world is upward drawn 
are cords of love. To fail at this point is to fail at all 
.points. This explains the drawing power of Calvary. 
This world needs real lovers more than any other thing. 
"Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three ; but the 
greatest of these is love." I charge you before God, 
regard not your gift of power as in any sense your own. 
Take it as stewards of the manifold grace of God. Use 
it as becometh those who walk in the consciousness that 
the all-seeing eye is resting upon them. Take up thy 
cross and bear it without murmuring, without complain- 
ing, until the Father shall say: "Well done." Then in- 
stead of the cross will come the crown. Then Calvary 
will give place to Olivet, from whose summit your un- 
fettered souls will ascend, escorted by angel hosts to 
their native home. Then in triumph you shall pass 
through the pearly gates into the golden-paved, jasper- 
walled city, and lif^ eternal will be ushered in. A day 
.will dawn whose sky no cloud shall ever darken and 
whose sun shall never set. 




SERMON III. 

The Conditions of Successful Life 

Texts. — -Matt. 9 : 36-38 : "But when he saw the multitudes, 
he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, 
and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then 
saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but 
the laborers are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, 
that he will send forth laborers into his harvest." 

Matt. 10:1, 5, 6: "And when he had called unto him his 
twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to 
cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner 
of disease. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, 
saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city 
of the Samaritans enter ye not : but go rather to the lost sheep 
of the house of Israel." 

1. The prophet Joel, in pointing forward to the time 
when God's Spirit should be poured out upon men in a 
manner never before experienced, said : "Your sons and 
your daughters shall prophesy ; and your young men 
shall see visions ; and your old men shall dream dreams." 
This busy, practical age has little use for visions and 
dreams. The impression is that the world has gotten 
beyond these childish things. We say, let us have facts, 
not fancies ; realities, not dreams. Unless we are on our 
guard, we will miss the true meaning of some of the 
best things. 

2. There is abundant room in life for the vision and 

dream, and they are not only beautiful, but very useful. 

Utility can not be determined upon the narrow basis of 

commercial advantage, or of adaptability to direct and 

immediate consumption. Every spot of earth was not 
22 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 23 

intended for a cornfield, or a pasture lot, or even a forest. 
There are many places where flowers should be allowed 
to grow ; and the flower has its mission as surely as the ly^ 
blade of grass, the stalk of corn or the majestic oak. 

3. The domain of literature is not confined exclu- 
sively to dictionaries, encyclopedias, histories and philos- 
ophies. There must be flowers in this field, or it would 
be robbed of much of its beauty and a large part of its 
utility. The poet, the writer of fiction, the man who ^ 
gives play to his imagination — in short, the man who sees 
visions and dreams dreams — has a mission of good in 

the world. He is, as Beecher says, a "bird singing 
amidst the topmost boughs," and he has a mission as im- 
portant as the apparently more practical and prosaic 
barnyard fowl. 

4. The man who sees visions and dreams dreams /^ 
should not be despised. Make a place for him. He has 

a good work to perform. In fact, there are times and 
seasons when all should see visions and dream dreams. 
Without visions and dreams we would be illy prepared, 
oftentimes, for the hard, prosy, practical parts of life. 
A man who can sit down in his home, and listen to song 
and music and the prattle of children, is stronger for 
the hard, prosaic duty of the coming day, and especially 
is one better prepared for his work who can in antici- 
pation and expectation live the day that is to follow. 
The hour spent by the soldiers around the campfire, in 
song, jokes, stories of home, bright visions of the future, 
reunion with loved ones, is not lost time. These men 
will fight better to-morrow for the visions of to-night. 

5. A vision should precede every real work, and he l^ 
who pauses long enough to catch a glimpse of the road 
stretching out before him, will travel it the more safely 

and successfully. 

(2) 



24 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

Student life should be preceded by a vision. The 
true student looks forward and anticipates that which 
is coming and in imagination grapples with the problems 
that confront him. True, the experience may not coin- 
cide very closely with his vision, but he is much better 
for the vision. It has filled him with hope and expecta- 
tion, and has served to kindle desire, beget courage 
and possibly to fortify the soul in advance against many 
a danger and difficulty. 

All practical life should follow a vision — the best, the 
truest that it is possible for us to obtain. The prospect 
opened up may not be just as we will find the reality. 
There may appear to be flowers that will elude our 
grasp, pleasant paths that will disappear as we draw 
near, refreshing groves that will vanish as we approach^ 
but for all that the vision is a good thing. In its direction 
and broad aspects it is likely to be right even if its details 
prove to be disappointing. 

6. To-day is a day for visions and dreams. It is the 
poem at the beginning of the chapter, the morning song 
that precedes the day of toil. If, with the experience 
of having traveled, in part, the journey that lies before 
you, I shall be able to help you to a truer, better vision 
tlian otherwise you might get, I shall count myself 
happy. 

Permit me to say that the vision needed most by you 
at this particular time is : 

I. A true view of the world. 

I am led to this remark because: 

I. A true view of the world is a necessary ante- 
cedent condition of a true work for the world. The 
physician can not successfully treat his patient until he 
truly diagnoses his disease. To do for the world what 
the world needs requires that you recognize these needs. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 25 

Herein appear the value and need of trained minds. 
In order to a true view, a man must have true standards 
of measurement, and it also requires unbiased judgment. 
All this is the result of training. True education places 
correct standards in the possession of the individual, and 
it also gives him the power of judgment. Many fail for 
the lack of these things. 

We are led to inquire : 

2. What are the characteristics of a true view of the 
world? These may be surely learned by getting Christ's 
view of the world. Looking at the world as he saw it, 
I conclude that a true view is a sympathetic view. Christ 
was the world's truest servant, and he took a sympathetic 
view of mankind. "When he saw the multitude, he was 
filled with compassion." The word "compassion" is a 
wonderful word. The man who has no compassion can 
never be the worker the world needs. This same con- 
clusion is reached by a study of the world's greatest 
souls. The greatest souls have had the instincts of the 
reformer, and all true reformers are men of compassion. 
In order to have true compassion, the individual must 
recognize real want. He must see the world's disease 
and realize its terrible character. He must have eyes to 
see the evils that afflict mankind. 

The true view is cosmopolitan. "He saw the multi- 
tudes." Christ always took the largest view the oc- 
casion permitted. There is a constant tendency in men 
to limit and restrict their vision ; to narrow their horizon ; 
to take class rather than race views. Even reformers are 
sometimes very narrow. They fail to take the compre- 
hensive view. They are apt to be men of one idea. 
This is necessarily true. One great idea is about as 
much as one man can grasp. Herein I find a strong 
argument for the divinity of Christ. 



26 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

II. A true view of the work. 

1. A true view of life's work sees first of all its great 
profusion. "The harvest is plenteous." Do not imagine 
there is nothing to do. There is plenty for every willing, 
prepared man to do. If men have nothing to do, they 
are either unwilling or unprepared. 

2. A true view of the work recognizes its two- 
fold character. ''He gave them authority over unclean 
spirits." There is a necessary work of destruction. 
Tares are to be burned. Evil spirits are to be cast out. 
There is also a work of construction — ^building up: "To 
heal all manner of diseases." Your own education is an 
illustration. It was destructive and constructive. Note, 
also, that the work is twofold in another sense. It is 
intellectual, which includes the spiritual. It deals with 
mind, heart and soul. It is also physical. It does some- 
thing, yea, much, for the body. God is ever making war 
on the evils that afflict us. He does not want us tor- 
mented. 

3. A true view recognizes the fact that it is a labo- 
rious work. If you have ever even thought that edu- 
cation is for the purpose of giving men and women an 
easier time, you have missed the real meaning. You 
will and ought to have a harder time than if you had 
never been within college walls. The more of true edu- 
cation you have, the harder time you are going to have. 
The more of true education you have, the more you will 
see to do and the more you will feel like doing. No well- 
educated man is or can be a lazy man. An uncultured 
savage can afford to be lazy. He sees nothing to do ; has 
no impulse to do any great thing and does not know how 
to do it. Do not imagine that you are educated to be 
overseers : God wants laborers. 

4. The true view of the work recognizes its radical 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 27 

character. You are not to go forth with such refined 
sensibihties that you can not take hold of disagree- 
able things. Your work is not dainty work — to prome- 
nade fashionable streets with clothing of rich fabric and 
faultless make, so refined and sensitive that you would 
faint at the sight of squalor or filth or disease. You are 
to do radical things-^work that affects life in its deeper, 
truer meanings. You are to cast out devils and heal dis- 
eases. You are to do something to lessen the world's 
misery and wretchedness. You are to grapple with the 
unpleasant problems around you and not shun the dis- 
agreeable tasks. I have feared that education may be- 
come effeminate ; that students may go out to seek easy, 
pleasant places. I trust you may recognize the fact that 
life's work is laborious and exacting, and that you will 
accept the service cheerfully. 

5. A true view will reveal the fact that life's best 
work is often unappreciated. What will the world do 
for those who go forth to heal the sick, raise the dead, 
cast out devils? Receive them with open arms. Give 
them an ovation when they enter town. Place the best 
rooms at their disposal. Spread banquets in their honor. 
Listen! Matt. 10: 16-18: ''Behold, I send you forth as 
sheep in the midst of wolves." This, you say, *'can not 
be." Has it not always been just so? Who have been 
treated so badly as the world's benefactors? The more 
good you do, the more persecution you will get. Now, 
what will you do when all this happens? Resign and 
go home, did you say? Then, do not start. Anybody 
can give up, but who can hold on steadfast to the 
end? 

III. A true view of the worker. 

I. A true worker comes first of all to God. "He 
called them unto him." There is no preparation so es- 



28 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

sential as that which comes from an intimate fellowship 
with God. He who comes closest to God will be able to 
get closest to men. He feels the divine heart-throbs, un- 
derstands the divine wisdom and goodness. Do you want 
to do a great work? a radical work? a supremely blessed 
work? Then, come to Christ and daily live close to him. 

2. The true worker is a man of power. If your edu- 
cation has not given power, it is a failure. To get power 
takes time. All true power is God-given ; the source is 
not in man. AH your privileges have been God-given. 
Power can not be acquired once for all. You will always 
need additional measures of power. Power is, however, 
perennial. When once awakened, it is like a well of 
water. 

Consciousness of power is a most exhilarating thing. 
It is liable to intoxicate. It is liable to be abused — 
turned to selfish ends. All of God's gifts are bestowed 
with benevolent intent. Power is given for the sake 
of blessing, never for selfish use. I have known persons 
to use power for purely selfish considerations ; use it to 
get wealth or pleasure. Your education is a power. 
How will you use it ? There may come to you the power 
of wealth, position, social influence. How will you use 
it? To destroy? This may be necessary. If God 
authorizes destruction, it is because all hope is gone. 
*Tf the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be 
salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast 
out and trodden underfoot of men." 

3. The true worker is always everywhere polite. 
"When you enter a house, salute it." Reference is made 
to a polite eastern custom. The lesson is obvious. You 
should never forget your good breeding — be polite. This 
characterizes the educated man. Observe the customs 
of polite, cultivated society in reasonable ways. There 



BACCALAUREATE SERMOXS 29 

is nothing that wins favor more readily than real po- 
liteness. 

4. The true worker is never mercenary. An undue 
love of money will blast and wither every noble impulse 
and paralyze every noble effort. Do not put off your 
charity until you have a great abundance. Give liberally 
of your moderate means and die poor. Do not be too 
anxious about salary. The man who does the work will 
get his pay. The world is in reality marvelously liberal 
in its payment for the thing it needs. Meet the world's 
want and trust the world's generosity. 

You must, however, be satisfied with necessities if 
need be. ''Worthy of his meat." If you want luxuries, 
you may be disappointed. We have had many examples 
of men who have gone to foreign lands without any 
guarantee of support. None have ever starved. The 
world will not let a true, earnest man starve. 

5. The true worker is divinely commissioned. Some 
men are never sent. They just drift into life's work. 
Everything happens by chance. Some send themselves. 
They have made up their minds to go. No great work 
can ever be done in any such cold and heartless fashion. 

We hear much said about acting on judgment and 
reason. This is very well so far as it goes. The real 
worker, while he does not ignore reason, yet he is moved 
l)y a more powerful impulse, that of love. Can we 
imagine any one, with such a prospect before him as 
Christ placed before his disciples, would go forth to the 
work if it were merely a matter of cool reason? These 
men were on fire with the enthusiasm of humanity. 

Conclusion: In conclusion, I would say you are now 
placed in a position where you are compelled to face 
grave duties. You can not refuse to undertake respon- 
sible work. You may see times when you will shrink 



30 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

from the task that confronts you, and desire to shp into 
the background and live easily and quietly, but you can 
not do it. A great necessity is laid upon you. Paul 
said: *'Woe is me, if I preach not the gospel." Why? 
Because of what had come to him. So it is with you. 
Great things will be expected, and you must not refuse 
the service. I see before you toil, hardship, yea, even 
danger, but you can not now go back. To do so would 
be cowardice of the meanest kind. There is only one con- 
sideration that makes this thing at all tolerable. Jesus 
said to his disciples, after telling them of persecutions,, 
labor and suffering: **Ye shall not have gone through the 
cities of Israel till the Son of man be come." This is 
Christian climax: labor, rest; danger, safety; cross, 
crown. The Master will some day come for you. He 
will expect to find you in the place he puts you, faith- 
fully performing your duty. The work will probably be 
abruptly broken off. You will not have finished all there 
is to do; but it will matter not. ''Be thou faithful unto 
death." ''At a day and hour ye think not, the Son of 
man cometh." Be ready to greet him with joy. 

Good-by. We part because the paths of men must 
separate. They never run parallel. They are drawn 
upon a sphere radiating from a common center, but we 
will meet again after the battle if we are faithful. To 
think of that moment almost makes me wild with joyful 
anticipation. What a moment that will be when we, with 
palms of victory in our hands, shall stand in the presence 
of the King! The weary journey, the labor, the con- 
flict, the danger all behind ; before, an eternity of bliss. 
Until that day, farewell. May God preserve us blame- 
less unto his coming. 



SERMON IV. 

The Sheltering Rock; or. The Highest Type 
o£ Character 

Text. — Isa. 32: 1-5, 8: "Behold, a king shall reign in right- 
eousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall 
be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the 
tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a 
great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see 
shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. 
The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the 
tongue of the stammerer shall be ready to speak plainly. The 
vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said 
to be bountiful. . . . 

"But the liberal deviseth liberal things ; and by liberal things 
shall he stand." 

I. This is one of the many passages in the Old Testa- 
ment where the prophet of God draws aside the curtain 
and gives us a glimpse of the blessings that are to be 
realized in the coming Messianic kingdom. As the 
prophet delivers his message of warning or instruction 
to the people of his time, his gaze ever and anon seems 
to pentrate into the great future and he catches glimpses 
of such transcendant beauty and loveHness that his soul 
is set on fire and he bursts forth in strains of such burn- 
ing eloquence that our hearts are thrilled as we listen to 
the impassioned words and in our breasts new hope is 
kindled and larger expectations created. Living as we 
do in the Messianic age to which these utterances point, 
^;e see that many of these inspiring predictions have been 
already realized, and this gives us confidence to believe 
that all will be fulfilled in the upward sweep of the on- 
coming ages. 

31 



32 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

2. In this particular passage we have portrayed the 
perfection of individual character that shall be reached 
in the Messianic age as revealed in the service men shall 
render their day and generation, and this, after all, con- 
stitutes the measure of the highest attainments. He is 
best who does best and he does best who serves best. 
Jesus said, when his disciples were contending about the 
question of primacy: "Whosoever of you will be the 
chiefest shall be servant of all." 

3. I take this passage as peculiarly applicable to the 
present occasion, because the educated man ought to 
represent the very highest product of our Christian civil- 
ization. Christianity is the foster mother of education, 
and when a Christian college sends young people out 
with its diploma, and consequently with the stamp of its 
approval, it ought to be able to say, ''Behold what Chris- 
tianity can do for a man." Standing back yonder with 
the prophet of twenty-five hundred years ago, and look- 
ing through the telescope which he holds up for us, we 
see in glorious pictures the possibilities of individual de- 
velopment to be realized in future ages when men would 
be instructed by the great Teacher who came down from 
heaven, and human character fashioned after the divine 
niodel under his plastic hand. To-day we occupy the 
place upon which the prophetic gaze was fixed, and can 
say: Here is the object caught in the focus of the 
prophetic telescope; here is the subject of the picture 
drawn by the prophetic artist ; here is the real person 
whose shadow fell across the field of prophetic vision and 
inspired the prophet to write the beautiful words of our 
text. 

From this language I gather that the highest type of 
man has : 

I. A work of government: "A king shall reigit 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 33 

in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment." 

1. The office of king is a perpetual office, and hence 
a necessary office. Do not imagine that the world will 
ever outgrow the need of a king: the name may change, 
but the office is perpetual. There must forever be gov- 
ernment or rule. We may talk about self-government, 
but in reality men govern themselves by submitting to 
the authority they place over themselves. The nation, 
the state, the city, the family, must have a ruler. It is 
a necessary condition of civilized society, and there is 
also a hierarchy in the individual soul. The one great 
function of education is to fit men to rule. 

This implies, first of all, self-government. No man 
can rule others who can not govern himself. This im- 
plies, in the second place, ability to obey. The man who 
has learned obedience, other things being equal, is best 
fitted to rule. This also implies knowledge. No ignorant 
man is fit to rule. Ignorance is a terrible blight upon 
the soul. It leaves a man a prey to all forms of evil. 
An ignorant man is a menace to society. To put igno- 
rance on the throne is to invite ruin. Only the instructed 
m.an is truly a king. This also implies keen moral and 
spiritual perceptions and ready moral responsiveness. It 
is an outrage on humanity to place a bad man in author- 
ity. It is a sad commentary on our Christian civilization 
that bad men can hold official position. 

2. The office of ruler is in no sense incompatible with 
the office of servant. The true ruler is the highest form 
of servant. He is the highest king who can do most for 
humanity. On this basis the claim of Christ as King 
of kings must rest; on this basis the claim of every king \ 
rests. You are all kings in proportion to your ability to ^ 
serve your generation. 

3. The manner of discharging the duty is clearly de- 



34 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

fined. One word explains it : ''righteousness." To un- 
derstand this, let us place ourselves in the age in which 
the prophet lived. He was king who could take the 
scepter by force and hold it. It was simply a question 
of power. The people lived for the king. The king had 
• rights, the people had none. To serve the king for his 
own sake was considered the duty of the subjects. This 
condition of things resulted from a mistaken idea of 
the nature of true greatness. It was regarded as merely 
accidental. The prophet looked forward to a time when 
a new idea should dominate the world. This idea made 
true greatness essential and not accidental. When the 
true dignity of man would come to be recognized, the 
kmg would belong to the people and not the people to 
the king. Then the king would rule in righteousness 
when the rights of men were recognized. If greatness 
consists in power or riches or knowledge, weak men or 
poor men or ignorant men are not great and hence have 
no rights. If greatness consists in the fact of manhood, 
then every man, be he rich or poor, strong or weak, wise 
or simple, is great by virtue of his manhood, which is 
the true charter of nobility. When this is recognized, 
the king will rule in righteousness. This is the idea that 
destroys selfishness and pride. The apostolic injunction 
is, "Let each esteem others better than himself." 
This means that the highest type of man has : 
II. A work of protection: A man shall be as an 
hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the 
tempest. 

I. Men and animals have been lost on the plains in 
time of severe storm. They needed a hiding-place from 
the wind and a covert from the storm, and, failing in 
this, they perished. Rude buildings of stone are some- 
times erected in the sandy deserts by the hand of charity 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 35 

as a refuge from the storm, so that any one so un- 
fortunate as to be overtaken by one of the desert sand- 
storms may have a place of safety. Little birds, so timid 
and shrinking, will sometimes seek admission to the habi- 
tations of man in time of severe storm. There are many 
instances recorded of birds pursued by the hawk or eagle 
that have flown into the bosom of men for protection. 
It is said that such an incident gave rise to the beautiful 
song: 

"Jesus, lover of my soul, 
Let me to thy bosom fly, 
While the nearer waters roll. 

While the tempest still is high; 
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, 
Till the storm of life is past; 
Safe into the harbor guide, 
O receive my soul at last." 

As you have sat by the fire during a winter evening, 
and have heard the wind moaning and sighing and the 
sleet dashing against the window-pane, you have realized 
how blessed it is to have a shelter from the wind and a 
covert from the tempest. 

2. Let us not imagine, however, that physical storms 
are our greatest perils. These literal storms are very 
inadequate illustrations of the fiercer mental tempests 
that sweep over the human soul and often overwhelm 
the individual in a destruction far more terrible than any 
tliat destroys the physical man. Tempests of affliction, 
storms of disaster, great billows of trouble, have swept 
many a soul into ruin. Life is not a mild, bright summer 
day. It is a very changeable day. If there are hours of 
sunshine, be sure there will be times of storm. God sends 
the storm as well as the calm, and it is the duty of man 
to offer refuge to his brother caught in the tempest of 
sorrow and adversity. Oftentimes a man saves himself 



36 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

ill that way. Many a soul has been kept from despair in 
its efforts to cheer despairing souls. I once read of a 
traveler overtaken in a snowstorm who struggled until 
strength failed and then lay down and gave up. Pres- 
ently he felt something move beneath him and he roused 
himself to find another perishing man. This inspired 
him to make effort to save his unfortunate fellow-man, 
and in so doing he saved himself. This story illustrates 
a great truth. We save ourselves in saving others. 

3. Illustrations of this great service are often seen. 
I have known certain men who were generally recog- 
nized as a refuge in time of storm. If financial trouble 
came, the unfortunate ones knew instinctively where to 
go for counsel and help, and they never appealed in 
vain. If afflictions came, the sufferers knew to whom 
to go for sympathy. No matter what the nature of 
the storm might be in which the unfortunate ones were 
caught, they always knew where to go for a refuge and 
a covert. 

Young people, I trust you may become a "hiding- 
place from the wind and a covert from the tempest" for 
needy souls. Here is, after all, the radical service. You 
are not here to amuse men. You are not in this world 
to have an easy, quiet time. You are not educated that 
you may be able to acquire a competence easier. You 
are here for a refuge. To perform this service you must 
have great hearts of love. 

I discover that the highest type of man has : 

III. A work for instruction : "As rivers of water in 
a dry place." 

I. This figure is a very suggestive one. There is no 
want more severe than that of thirst. There is nothing 
more refreshing than the cooling draught of water to 
the thirsty. This figuratively represents the keen thirst 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 37 

of the soul for instruction concerning the most vital ques- 
tions. Water is a symbol of instruction. Jesus said, *'If 
any man thirst, let him come to me and drink." In this 
he points out a soul-thirst for instruction that only he 
can give. The prophet represents true men as rivers, 
sources of instruction, the greatest of all blessings. 

2. As educated men and women, one of your great 
functions will be that of instruction. There are deep 
heart questions that the world wants instruction upon. 
I trust you will be able to answer the deep, radical ques- 
tions of the soul. Not the little, unimportant inquiries, 
but the great questions. Jesus, our great exemplar, was 
a teacher. His instruction was radical. It always went 
to the root of the matter. He did not merely entertain, 
hut he taught. He satisfied thirst. This is your work. 
To do this you must be students. You must grapple 
with great fundamental questions in a strong way. Your 
student life has only begun. Nor is this all. Never for- 
get that after all the most satisfactory teaching is ex- 
pressed in action. The world does not want talkers so 
much as doers. In this lies the teaching that is most 
radical. 

The highest type of man has also : 

IV. A work of encouragement and support: "As 
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." 

I. This figure is largely lost to people who have 
never seen a desert. To understand, we must in imag- 
ination bring before our eyes a huge rock rearing itself 
aloft amidst the desert. All around are shifting sands, 
parched and dry, without sign of life, except on the 
sheltered side of the rock. There in the cool, refreshing 
shade where the sands are sheltered from the burning 
sun and protected from the winds, grass and flowers 
have sprung up, and their freshness and beauty offer a 



38 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

striking contrast to the dreary, barren waste stretched 
out on every hand. 

This presents to us a picture of what we see going- 
on all around us in this great desert waste of life. Some 
men are merely shifting sand. They are blown hither 
and thither by every wind of circumstance. They are 
capable of producing luxuriant and beautiful plants, if 
only some sheltering rock would cast its kindly shadow. 
They can not be independent. They must have shelter 
and protection. They must have some strong character 
under whose shadow they can escape the scorching sims 
and driving blasts. 

2. Young people, remember that you, by virtue of 
your advantages, are to stand in the world as sheltering 
rocks. You go forth ''not to be ministered unto, but to 
minister." You must be ready to endure the scorching 
suns and fierce tempest, and break the force of these 
things for those who hide in your shadow and who 
would be swept to ruin without your help and protection. 

To accomplish this there must be in you stability and 
strength, firmness of mental and moral texture. You 
must have tenacity. No changing, vacillating person 
can in any sense be a rock. If your education has failed 
to give you these qualifications, it is of little value. 

The highest type of man has also: 

V. A work of attention, understanding and utter- 
ance: "The eyes of them that see shall not be dim^ 
and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The 
heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and 
the tongue of the stammerer shall be ready to speak 
plainly." 

I. Here is a duty the importance of which can not 
be exaggerated. It is a great thing to have eyes that 
can s^e and ears that can hear. Even in a physical sense 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 39 

there is a great difference in the sight and hearing of 
men. Two persons hsten to the same speech ; one hears 
it and the other does not. Two persons travel together; 
one sees everything, the other sees nothing. Of some 
it may be said even in a physical sense, ''Having eyes they 
see not, and having ears they hear not." 

There is the same difference in the intellectual and 
spiritual organs of sight and hearing. Some never see 
what is going on around them. Officials may be corrupt 
and unfaithful, they do not see it. Injustice may be per- 
petrated, they do not observe it. All forms of sin may 
rear their frowning ramparts and flaunt their banners 
and utter their strains of depravity, but ''having eyes 
they see not, and having ears they hear not." The blind- 
ness of Christian men is a very painful fact. 

2. One great function of education is to quicken the 
faculties of the individual. This is true even in the 
purely physical sense. An educated man ought to have 
sharper eyes and keener ears on that account. He should 
be able to see more even with the physical eye and hear 
more with the physical ear. In fact, he should have a 
better body than the uneducated man. The time has 
gone by for sending men and women out from the col- 
lege with flabby muscles, pale, emaciated cheeks, stooped 
shoulders — in short, with weak, inadequate bodies. 

In an intellectual sense this truth has its highest ap- 
plication. Education should discover the man to himself, 
and to do this he must understand his surroundings and 
his relation to the things of to-day. To know what to 
do, he must know what is to be done. Is there injustice, 
he must know it. He must be able to discover tendencies, 
to discern currents and see the general drift. 

This involves also a work of judgment, and judgment 
implies knowledge. A man who is familiar with the 



40 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

past, who has traced effects backward to their causes, 
will be able to judge of the future. Given certain ex- 
isting conditions, ''he will understand knowledge." 

The work of the true man never ends upon himself. 
He must never regard his knowledge as a final good. He 
must speak and act, and he must know, that he may 
speak the right word and do the right thing. Notice the 
beautiful and logical development here presented. See, 
know, speak. This last requires courage. Many see and 
know, but have not the courage to speak. To speak 
means loss of popularity, loss of position, loss of money. 
To speak means cross-bearing ; they hesitate and are lost. 

The work of education is a failure if courage has not 
been developed. A shrinking, cowardly man is a re- 
proach to the college that sends him out. In Nathan, 
John the Baptist, Paul, and especially in Christ, we have 
examples of true courage. Nathan rebuked David ; John 
denounced Herod ; and Paul said : 'T have not shunned 
to declare unto you all the counsel of God." Christ con- 
demned the Phariseeism and hypocrisy of his time with 
great boldness. No coward can make such declarations 
as these great souls made. A brave man is always a 
beautiful sight. 

The highest type of prepared man has : 

VI. A work of benevolence : "The vile person shall 
be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be 
bountiful. . . . But the liberal deviseth liberal things, 
and by liberal things shall he stand." 

I. One of earth's greatest heroes said: 'T am debtor 
to all men." It is interesting to ask the ground of this 
obligation. What had the world done for Paul? It had 
given him slander, misrepresentation, unrequited labor 
and toil, persecution and injustice. Yet Paul said: "I 
am debtor to all men." Where was the ground of the 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 41 

obligation ? Listen : "As much as in me is." Paul owed 
the world all that God had given him. 

2. I do sincerely trust you have learned this lesson. 
You owe all that in you is. You have not been here for 
the purpose of storing up knowledge for your own sake 
as a miser stores gold, but you have come to the bank 
to borrow and you owe all you have gotten with com- 
pound interest. It is a great responsibility to receive an 
education. Would you hesitate to give your note for a 
large sum of money? That would be a small thing as 
compared with the debt you have contracted by virtue of 
your education. 

Do not fail to note this feature of the picture drawn 
by the prophetic artist. "The liberal deviseth liberal 
things." I may say the final end of education is to make 
men liberal. I like the phrase "liberal education." All 
education should be liberal. No stingy man has a liberal 
education. Have you grown in sympathy? Then be 
liberal in your judgments. I do not say get down to the 
common plane of humanity, but I say get up onto that 
plane. A man of narrow sympathies drops below the 
common plane. The most striking characteristic of God 
is his liberality. He is liberal with light; with air; with 
water; with beauty; with his provisions, spiritual, intel- 
lectual and physical ; with his love. Christ was the great- 
est giver the world ever saw, and he is your model, li 
any of you shall go out into the world stingy men and 
women, I will blush for you. Be liberal in all things — 
sympathy, love, money, labor, sacrifice. It is customary 
for parents to wish for their children prosperity, ease, 
comfort. I frequently hear men say, "I don't want my 
children to have as hard a time as I have had." We 
often desire an easy time for ourselves. We look for- 
ward to a time of ease when we can stop working. I 



42 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

have sometimes done so, but I have, I hope, outgrown 
that weakness. As in one sense your father, what wish 
shall I make for you ? Shall I say, May God give you an 
easy, pleasant time? No, no, a thousand times no. I 
hope you may have a life of toil, struggle, sacrifice. I 
hope you may have a hard time, and I trust that your 
education has fitted you to ''endure hardness as good 
soldiers." 

Young people, I believe the day has come for greater 
things than the world has ever seen. More liberal things 
than the world has ever dreamed of. The time has come 
for larger education, and this ought to mean nobler 
speech and nobler action. We expect you to do better 
than any who have preceded you, and we feel that we 
will not be disappointed. As some one has said: "If you 
do not do better, you will do worse." 

As in imagination I look forward over the plain of 
life that lies before you, I behold long, weary, rugged 
roads, fields of battle, scorching heat, severe storms. I 
see days and weeks and months and years of toil, labor, 
sacrifice, suffering, and I say, Praise God if they shall be 
counted worthy of sacrifice in this great cause of human- 
ity, in this great work of the world's uplifting. I do not 
say. Father, save them from this ; but, Father, lead them 
by thine hand, keep them by thine own might, preserve 
them blameless unto the coming of the Lord. 

But why do I say this? It is because I can look be- 
yond this dreary, dusty, storm-swept plain of life to the 
final scene, and without which the picture would be very 
incomplete. I see a great white throne, and on it is 
seated One whose face shines with the dazzling, re- 
splendent light of his own inherent purity. Around the 
throne is gathered an innumerable company clothed in 
white. As I gaze I hear the question : "Who are these 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 43 

"which are arrayed in white robes, and whence came 
they ?" and the response is given : "These are they which 
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 
"Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve 
him day and night in his temple ; and he that sitteth on 
the throne shall dwell among them." "They shall hunger 
110 more, neither thirst any more. Neither shall the sun 
light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in 
the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead 
them unto living fountains of waters ; and God shall wipe 
away all tears from their eyes." 

Young people, I feel that from this beginning your 
place will advance through toils and difficulties and 
dangers it may be, but surely to destinies beyond the 
reach of mortal eye; only seen, and that but dimly, by 
the eye of faith, yet even in its dim outlines so beautiful 
and sublime as to overwhelm the soul in ecstatic ex- 
pectation. 

Here I must pause. I can, I need, say no more. Our 
work for you in one sense is done. Good-by, dear young 
people, until we clasp glad hands after the battle is over 
and we stand in the presence of the King. 



SERMON V. 

Saving Others the True Work of Life 

Text. — Mark 15 : 31 : "Likewise also the chief priests mock- 
ing said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others ; 
himself he cannot save." 

I wish to make this utterance of Christ's enemies the 
basis of my remarks on this occasion because it is a 
specific application of a great principle. Along with 
this I place the following passage : 

John 3:1, 2 : "There was a man of the Pharisees, named 
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews : the same came to Jesus by 
night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher 
come from God : for no man can do these miracles that thou 
doest, except God be with him." 

1. The question of work or calling is a fundamental 
consideration, and happy is he who early settles on some 
honorable and useful occupation and pursues it with 
singleness of purpose. 

**A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."^ 
"He is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and 
tossed." He is like the shifting sands of the desert. I 
have come to believe that it does not make so much dif- 
ference what a man does, so his work be an honorable 
one. The great question is how he does it. Every calling 
offers great opportunities for good if faithfully pursued. 
The main thing is to honor your calling and magnify it. 
Do not try to do too many things. 

2. In one sense we must all do the same thing if we 
fulfill our true mission. In outward aspect each man's 

work is different. No two men can do the same thing 

44 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 45 

in the same way. In a very important sense all are 
doing the same thing. There is only one radical work. 
All true men must do that. You may go out from col- 
lege, each to pursue his own chosen calling, yet in a 
very real and important sense you will all have one 
common occupation if you are true to the highest obli- 
gation. We will all be laborers together, and with the 
good and true of all ages in the accomplishment of that 
which constitutes the true work of life. I love to think 
of life in this way. It is a very inspiring thought to feel 
that I am doing the same thing that every other true 
m.an is doing ; nay, more, that I am doing the same thing 
that every true man that ever lived has done ; and more 
yet, that every true man that ever lives will do. This 
to me is a wonderful thought, that there is only one real 
work for all the ages. All the variations of work we 
see are merely on the surface. Down beneath the seem- 
ing multitudinous callings lies one radical, fundamental 
work that is common to all. The work that we do, our 
fathers did, and our children will do if all are true to 
self, the world and God. 

The man who does not discover and do this common 
work isolates himself from the true nobility of all the 
ages. He fails to stand in the only true succession. He 
has no ancestry and will have no progeny. He is cat 
off from the legitimate line of descent. The material 
world illustrates this wonderftil truth. There are many 
agents at work and all seem to be doing a different thing. 
Earth, sea and sky are very different in nature and work. 
The storm and calm, the clouds and sunshine, the moun- 
tain and plane, the animal and vegetable, all so different 
in appearance and function, yet have one work in com- 
mon — the welfare, the comfort, the blessing, in short, the 
salvation, of man. All things are his. Paul so taught: 



46 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

^'AU things are yours." Earth, sea and sky are the 
great treasure-house in which is stored up the wealth 
intended for man's use. Every agent that is at work 
in all this world is laboring for man's good. Every 
blade of grass that springs up, every plant that grows, 
every tree that rears itself heavenward, exists and works 
for man. For his sake the sun shines, the rain falls, the 
flowers bloom, and the birds sing. The veins of gold 
and silver, the vast deposits of coal, iron, the strata of 
rock piled up in mountain ranges, are all for man. This 
whole material universe, with its myriad agents all at 
work, each in his own way, is the servarjt of man, and 
this common work binds all together in one great family, 
impressed with one common purpose — the salvation of 
man. 

I. The enemies of Christ said when he was dying 
on the cross, "He saved other; himself he cannot 
save." In this utterance of Christ's enemies there is 
incidentally disclosed the great purpose and work of 
life for all true men in all time ; namely, to save others. 

Here we get the radical thing. Let us try to grasp 
the broad meaning of this. 

1. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, and in so doing 
he disclosed to us the divine idea of life. In his life he 
revealed the perfect man and hence gave us a perfect 
model. The one word that explains this life is the 
word "Saviour." His divinely given name was Saviour : 
"Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his 
people," etc. He so understood his own mission: "I 
came to seek and to save the lost." He never lost sight 
of this fact for one moment. He was Saviour of body, 
soul and spirit. 

2. Christ's mission is the mission of every true man. 
It is a mistake to suppose that Christ is the only Saviour. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 47 

True, he was Saviour in a peculiar sense, yet in a broader 
sense he is not the only Saviour. The Christian is a 
copy of Christ and hence a savior. It is also a great 
misconception of this matter to look upon preachers as 
a class whose especial duty is to save men. Every true 
man is a savior. He is here to save others. Failing 
in this, he fails in the real work of life. This work alone 
entitles him to the blessings of life. This alone justifies 
-existence. This is what God made me for. So of every- 
thing else. Why did God make the tree? For a savior. 
Why did God make the flowers? For a savior. You 
are to save men physically, intellectually and morally. 
This is the one business of life. 

II. This thought very naturally leads us to con- 
sider some of the necessary characteristics of a savior. 

I. Jesus had an ever-present consciousness of his true 
origin, and I hold this to be the first great essential. "I 
must be about my Father's business." ''I proceeded forth 
and came from God." "Neither came I of myself, but 
he sent me." *'I came not down from heaven to do mine 
own will, but the will of him that sent me." 

No one can be a savior who does not come from 
God. It is a great thing to feel that one's origin is 
divine. Get your commission from God. This is what 
Jesus did. He did not invent his mission. It was not 
an accident or a matter of his own smartness. His cre- 
dentials were handed to him from above. Not only 
must you feel that you come from God, but you must 
so live and so work that the world will feel this also. It 
was so with Jesus. "Master, thou art a teacher sent 
from God." If you teach, make pupils and parents feel 
that you come from God. If you preach, do likewise; so 
in any calling. Make every one feel you come from 
God. In after years, as men look back to their contact 



■48 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

with you, they ought to feel that you were God's mes- 
-senger of good; that you were in truth an angel of 
light. 

This coming from God should be a continual coming. 
Jesus came in this way. He lived with God, and so must 
€very true man. He must come from God every day. 
Do not understand me as teaching that there is no dif- 
ference between Jesus and other good men. Jesus came 
as the only begotten Son of God, but we may come from 
God in a very real and true sense. 

2. The true savior is a man of profound knowledge. 
Jesus was never taken unaware ; he was never surprised. 
He could always give the answer to the hardest question. 
He even knew what was in man. He knew the evil pro- 
pensities and the possibilities for good. This is ever 
characteristic of the true savior. No ignorant man can 
te a savior in any real sense. The Scriptures always 
magnify knowledge. 

3. A true savior is a man of deep penetration, keen 
sympathy and feeling. "When Jesus saw the multitudes, 
he wept." He wept over Jerusalem. "He was moved 
with compassion." Here is the very secret of Christ's 
life. All great men have been men of great heart power. 
Paul, John, Judson, Livingstone, Abraham Lincoln, and 
many others, might be named as conspicuous examples. 
Can you look upon wrong and injustice unmoved? Then 
you can not be a savior. A savior has eyes to see. 
Do you weep when you look upon the multitude? Do 
you see anything wrong in our social economy? A true 
savior can not walk among men unmoved as long as 
there is a single falsehood that is not exposed, as long 
as there is a single injustice that is not corrected, as long 
as there is a single wrong that is not righted. 

4. The true savior is a man of deeds. It is neces- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 49 

sary to know. It is great to feel, but it is divine to do. 
Jesus said : "I came down from heaven not to do mine 
own will, but the will of him that sent me." "The Father 
hitherto works, I work." "I must be about my Father's 
business." ''His life was the light of men." In con- 
clusion he said : 'T have finished the work which thou 
gavest me to do." All true teaching is completed in 
action. He taught the same thing with respect to others. 
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he 
it is that loveth me." "Ye are my friends if ye do what- 
soever I command you." "Not every one that saith unto 
me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, 
but he that doeth the will of my Father in heaven." "He 
that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I 
will liken him unto a wise man, that built his house upon 
a rock." The theorist may have his place, but what the 
world needs most of all is men of action. James teaches 
the importance of works very strongly. "If a man say 
he have faith, and have not works, can faith save him?" 
**Show me your faith without your works, and I will 
show you my faith by my works." The world will judge 
you largely by what you do. The first miracle of Jesus 
is very suggestive. Jesus began his miracles by turning 
wat^r into wine. This, in symbol, is turning instruction 
into good works. Water symbolizes instruction ; wine, 
good works. This was a symbolic representation of 
Christ's life, and it indicated what life should be. Turn 
instruction into good works. This is peculiarly applica- 
ble to young people going out of college. 

III. Here is clearly revealed the necessary price of 
being a savior. "He saved others: himself he can- 
not save." 

I. The enemies of Christ did not know they were 
uttering a universal truth, and yet they spoke very truly. 



50 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

Here is unwittingly disclosed a principle of universal 
truth or application. Jesus himself clearly declared this 
truth. He said: "He that saves his life shall lose it." 
All nature illustrates this. Mother Earth gives of her- 
self to save her children. The vegetable gives of itself 
to save the animal. The lower animal gives itself to save 
the higher. Holland says : 

"Life evermore is fed by death. 
In earth or sea or sky, 
And that a rose may breathe its breath. 
Something must die." 

.^ There is only one life that fails — the selfish Hfe. There 
is only one life that succeeds — the life of self-surrender. 

2. This sacrifice must be complete. Jesus made no 
reserve. His time, his ease, his life, were freely given. 
It is not a question of giving part, it is giving all. Do 
you say, I will give part? One day in seven? One 
dollar in ten? You must give all. The woman who 
gave her two mites gave her all, and was commended 
by the Master. Mary gave the box of spikenard, very 
precious. It was all of her treasure. 

Dear young people, you have come to the end of a 
very important epoch in life— -the period of preparation. 
If there is anything yet to follow in this line, it is in the 
field of specialization. The great disciplinary period is 
ended. This is a very great period, in some sense the 
greatest of all. If this work has been well done, happy 
are you. There is nothing more important than prepara- 
tion. There is nothing that the world needs more. Yet 
this ending is merely a beginning. Nothing ever ends in 
any real sense. Where we end our journey of to-day, we 
begin the march of to-morrow ; s-3 it will be till life closes, 
and even then we do not finish oar course ; we only come 
to still greater beginnings. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 51 

3. It is not for me to tell what your life will be in 
any specific sense. In a general way I may say there 
will be toil and suffering and danger, and maybe perse- 
cution, injustice and wrong, for all of you. Even Christ 
was made perfect through suffering, and died at last a 
martyr's death. I sincerely hope and trust that each 
of you will receive the crown of glory that fadeth 
not away. I trust your one business in life will be 
to save others, for thus shall you be saved at last. 
Then you will join in singing the great hallelujah song 
of victory, and from the King's own hand you will 
receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away. The 
price is truly a great one. "Himself he cannot save." 
It is the giving up of self. It is a crucifixion. No, 
no, dear young people, if you are going to save others, 
you can not save yourselves, and yet, paradoxical as 
it may seem, if you are going to save yourselves, you 
must save others. To save others is to lose the present, 
the temporal, and gain the eternal. To fail to save 
others is to save the temporal and lose the eternal. My 
soul is thrilled with the thought that so many well- 
equipped young people go forth filled with the divine 
purpose to be saviors of men. Surely such a sight is 
worthy of the interest of angels, and it is my firm belief 
that angels are looking on with rapture. 

One thought forces itself upon me in conclusion. 
Saviors of men means those who are saved. The force 
that lifts up and saves is a drawing force. Are there any 
in this class who have never taken the high stand to 
which God invites? What better time than this to begin 
the true life? What more auspicious moment? 



SERMON VL 

The Conditions on Which the Prize of Life is Won 

Text. — Phil. 3:13: "Brethren, I count not myself to have 
apprehended : but this one thing I do, forgetting the things which, 
are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before, 
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of 
God in Christ Jesus." 

1. The apostle Paul was an unsatisfied man. Al- 
though a man of large attainments in scholarship, in 
wisdom, in character; although he had been peculiarly 
favored by the Lord Jesus Christ, having received his 
call to the ministry by a special appearance and special 
commission of the Lord to him ; although he had the con- 
sciousness of having accomplished a wonderful work in 
the ministry to which he had been called, having labored 
more abundantly, as he himself declared, than any of the 
apostles — yet he was an unsatisfied man. He felt that 
there was more knowledge to be acquired, larger soul 
development to be secured, nobler speech to be uttered, 
ir. short, greater work to be done, than he had ever yet 
been able to perform. Hence this text: ''Brethren, I 
count not myself yet to have apprehended." 

2. This leads me to say that unsatis faction is the 
first condition of larger achievement. The satisfied, com- 
placent man has reached his goal. There are no other 
worlds for him to conquer; there are no loftier heights 
for him to climb ; there is no greater work for him to do. 
He has thought his best thought, made his best speech, 
done his best work. Henceforth life to him will be a con- 
tinually diminishing quantity. His journey thenceforth 

52 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 55 

will be on the downgrade. The great things for him 
are all behind. But who will measure the possibilities 
of the unsatisfied man? Who will set bounds to his 
achievements? Who will place the goal of his progress 
this side of the utmost limits permitted to man by his 
Creator? The only thing that can be safely said of 
him is : *Tt doth not yet appear what he shall be." He 
would be a rash man indeed who would attempt to fix 
the boundary-line to the life of the unsatisfied man. 
Only God, who can see the end from the beginning, can 
tell what the outcome of the life of such a man will be. 

3. But mark, I say an unsatisfied man, not a dis- 
satisfied man. The possibilities of the two are as wide 
apart as the poles, nay, rather, as heaven and earth. The 
dissatisfied man is never constructive, but always and 
everywhere destructive. He is the grumbler, complainer, 
faultfinder. He is like a vulture that flies with his eye 
upon the earth, seeking for carrion with which to sat- 
isfy its depraved appetite, and its own deepest satis- 
faction is found in reveling in the filth from which all 
nobler birds turn away in disgust. He sees only the 
faults of men and the bad there is in the world. He is 
an iconoclast, a misanthropist, a cynic. He conceives no 
large plans, formulates no generous schemes, undertakes 
no noble work, but his life is spent in querulous com- 
plaint and in searching for flaws and imperfections in 
the work of nobler men. 

Young people, my prayer for you is that you may 
be not dissatisfied, God forbid, but unsatisfied ever till 
the latest day of life ; for then your greatest achievement 
will ever be before you. You will be a continual sur- 
prise to yourself and your friends. God give you the 
unsatisfied mind and the hungry soul, for herein lies your 
noblest hope. 



54 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

The text outlines the conditions on which the prize of 
life is won. From it I learn that: 

1. Man's mission in this world is — "to do." 

I. An impression is quite current that being is the 
end of life, that the measure of success is determined 
by what a man is. I wish to take issue with this com- 
monly accepted notion. I shall risk the charge of heresy, 
and declare that doing, and not being, is the true aim 
and purpose in life. Being is for the sake of doing. 
Being is the means to the end. I am, that I may do, 
not that I may merely exist. You say that being is 
character and character is the only real possession, but 
I tell you that character is not a mere passive possession, 
a sort of quiescent state. Character is for the sake of 
doing; doing is the end, doing is the real possession. I 
own the things I do. My riches consist of deeds. Faith 
itself is deeds. Show me your faith without works, and 
I will show you my faith by my works. Deeds are the 
only coin current in heaven. ''Come, ye blessed of my 
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and ye gave 
me meat." "Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, 
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that 
doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." Never 
make the mistake of supposing you are great because of 
what you are. You are great because of what you do. 
What you are may in a sense determine what you do, 
but the doing is the end. The being without the doing 
is failure. Greatness can never be truly predicated of 
any one until being is translated into doing. 

2. To be still more specific on this point, f will say 
that knowledge is for the sake of doing. Knowledge 
should never be regarded as an end. It should never 
be sought for its own sake simply. I have sometimes 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 55 

heard this advice given to young people : "Get knowl- 
edge for the sake of knowledge. Seek it because of the 
pleasure it will afford." If this be true, he is the wise 
man who withdraws from the world, becomes a recluse, 
incarcerates himself in his library and makes his life to 
consist of appropriation. He is to be commended who 
is as hungry for knowledge as the miser is for gold. 
In fact, between the two there is little to choose. The 
governing principle is the same for both. It is acqui- 
sition in either case. Is knowledge, then, a thing to be 
despised? By no means. It is to be coveted, sought, 
acquired, but never as an end of life. You are here for 
deeds, and your justification for seeking knowledge will 
be found in the things you do. If you fail to do good, 
you will deserve no praise for what you know. You 
can't be good unless you do good. Am I wrong in this? 
Does some one say the Bible magnifies knowledge and 
even declares it to be the principal thing? Am I re- 
minded that even the great Teacher himself in giving 
his commission said, "Go teach"? I do not forget this, 
I do not belittle knowledge nor undervalue its import- 
ance, but I would have you remember that the Bible 
magnifies knowledge not for its own sake, but for the 
power to do that knowledge gives. The Bible even 
teaches that it is better not to know than to know and 
not to do. He builds on the sand 'who hears and does 
not. He builds on the rock who hears and does. He 
that knows and does not shall be beaten with many 
stripes. To have enjoyed such opportunities as have 
been yours, to have made such attainments in knowledge 
as you have made, lays upon you a mighty obligation for 
a life of action, a life of deeds that shall bless the world. 
You are placed under constraint. You have no choice. 
You dare not devote your life to the acquisition of 

(3) 



56 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

knowledge for knowledge's sake. Do, work, serve, for 
this you have come to the present moment. This is the 
meaning of all your study, of all your discipline, of all 
your knowledge. Fail now in the world of action, seek 
your own ease, seek your own culture as an end, and 
better had you been born amidst heathen fanes where 
benighted man prostrates himself before the workman- 
ship of his own hands, yea, even among untutored 
savages, than in this highly favored land of light, knowl- 
edge and education. No, young people, this is not the 
land of rest where you can enjoy ease and comfort and 
luxury. It is a place for toil and labor, and not a place 
for self-seeking in any form. It is a world where there 
is drudgery and routine, a world of sweat of muscle, 
brain and heart, but withal a world where noble deeds 
and heroic actions are grandly possible, and this is your 
heritage by virtue of the knowledge and culture you 
have acquired. 

3. As a matter of precaution, because of the peculiar 
danger that confronts you, I will say that the acquisition 
of material things is for the sake of doing. Just at this 
point you meet a subtle, dangerous temptation. Here 
hundreds stumble and fall. How easy it is to make the 
mistake of supposing that we do in order to get. The 
farmer works that he may get more land. The lawyer 
works that he may get more property. The doctor works 
that he may get more money. How natural to think that 
we work to get. 

Will you go out from the walls of your alma mater 
with this idea in mind? Before you came here you could 
get a dollar a day for your labor as its pecuniary reward. 
Was it, therefore, for this you came, that you might in- 
crease your earning capacity? Is this why these teachers 
have labored in your behalf? Is this why benevolent 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 57 

men have given freely of their money to sustain this 
school, that you might get three dollars a day instead of 
one ? No ; perish the thought. You go forth to work. 
Incidentally you will get, but what you get in turn means 
work for you, greater work for you, more work for 
others. You get in order to work, but you do not work 
in order to get. If you do, then the labor expended on 
you has been in vain. Then has the purpose of this in- 
stitution been frustrated so far as you are concerned. 
Then has the purpose of God been thwarted. 

4. Let me say, also, that organization is for the sake 
of doing. But why should I thus particularize? Be- 
cause we live in a day of organizations. Organization is 
all around us. Organization is in the social, political, 
religious atmosphere we breathe. There is danger of 
our coming to believe that organization is the ''Ultima 
Thule" of life. There are getting to be almost as many 
organizations as there are people. It will not be long, 
if we keep up the present pace, until every one can be a 
president. 

Now, do not make the mistake of- supposing that 
organization is a good in itself ; that when you have 
organized things you have become a public benefactor 
and are entitled to the everlasting gratitude of men and 
an appropriation besides. Keep this principle in mind. 
Work is the end. Therefore organization is for the sake 
of work. It is not for the sake of having something to 
do, but for the sake of helping you to do something that 
needs doing, and thereby can be done. You organize for 
the sake of doing something good that otherwise could 
not or would not be done. Study organizations. Dis- 
cover what they are doing. If they are rendering sub- 
stantial service, encourage them. Join them that you 
may become a more efficient worker ; but if their work 



\^ 



58 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

is invented, if it supplies no natural demand, if it meets 
no real want, if it simply furnishes employment for those 
who run the machine, in short, if the organization is an 
end in itself, then it is superfluous and worse than use- 
less. It is a barren fig-tree. Very beautiful it may be 
to look upon, but of very little service to men. Young 
people, do you want to maintain your self-respect? Do 
you want to have the gratitude of men? Do you want 
to be admired ? Then, be a doer. I take off my hat and 
make my bow to the man who can do something useful 
and do it well. 

In the study of this text I learn that: 

II. Man's mission in this world is to do one thing. 

1. Concentration is a necessary condition of success. 
Concentration is an essential to intensity, and it is the 
intense man that makes himself felt. It is the lightning 
that shatters the strong oak. It is the tornado that 
sweeps every obstruction from its path. It is the soul on 
fire that kindles the fire in the hearts of its fellows. 
Every man at best is a limited being. The largest man 
is only large comparatively. Absolutely he is very small. 
One useful thing is large enough for the largest man to 
do. He who does one useful thing well need not feel 
ashamed. Better do one thing very well than two things 
moderately well or three things poorly. To do one thing 
well means the concentration of all one's powers. It 
means intensity, strenuousness. It means to be an in- 
carnated cyclone, a walking volcano. To attempt many 
things is the dissipation of one's power, a frittering away 
of one's energies. It is to turn away from the highest 
success and invite mediocrity, if not defeat. 

2. But success demands that you not only do one 
thing, but do the right thing. The man who does the 
right thing is the master workman. This does not mean 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 59 

that there is only one calling in which you can succeed, 
and missing that failure is sure. Perhaps each one of 
you can do any one of several things and do it well, but 
bear in mind that there are some things which you posi- 
tively can not do, at least with any strength and power. 
Some of you can not be lawyers. To attempt it would 
be to fail. Some can not be preachers. To try would 
only make you appear ridiculous. If there is any really 
sorry spectacle, it is to see a man trying to do a thing 
that he can not do, one who lacks every native qualifica- 
tion for his work. Such spectacles, unfortunately, are not 
uncommon. We see them every day, and are reminded of 
the picture Horace draws of the dolphin in the forest 
and the wild boar in the waves, except that the dolphin 
and wild boar appear to the best advantage. I commend 
to you a maxim from the same author : "Consider well 
what your shoulders are able to bear and what they re- 
fuse to bear." To do the right thing, therefore, de- 
mands that a man shall know himself and keep within the 
limits of his own field. He must know the length of his 
scepter. Any man may be strong if he keeps in his 
proper place. He is the weak man who has stepped 
across the line into his neighbor's field. It is with men 
as with the implements of w'ork. Everything is intended 
for some specific use. You can not use a thing made for 
one purpose for an entirely different purpose, but this 
ridiculous performance is being attempted by men on 
every hand by the callings they choose. A man sees an- 
other man doing a certain thing easily, pleasantly, suc- 
cessfully, profitably, and immediately he wants to do 
that thing and is unhappy until he makes the attempt, 
and, like a certain king, "he never smiles again," but the 
poor fellow does not know what is the matter, and thinks 
the fates are against him or that the world does not ap- 



CO BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

preciate real talent when it sees it. He has a grievance 
to charge up against his fellow-men. 

3. This means that a man must magnify his calling, 
look at it as the greatest thing that ever engaged the 
powers of man, and this is absolutely true. If you are 
doing the right thing and doing it wxll, or if you are 
doing honorable, useful work in a masterly way, you 
have the greatest calling on earth ; such a man need never 
waste time in vain regrets. He need never covet the 
work of some other man. The good farmer should never 
envy the merchant. The honest, successful merchant 
should never covet the calling of the lawyer. Each man, 
in his own field, should see nothing greater than the 
thing he is doing, and if he is a master workman there is 
nothing greater for him to do. 

4. Then, too, keep this in mind : All true workers are, 
in a certain view of the case, doing the same thing. 
There is close affinity between all useful callings ; nay, I 
will say that in an important sense there is absolute 
identity. The blade of grass, the flower, the tree, the 
animal, each may appear to do a different thing, but in 
reality they are all doing one thing — they serve man- 
kind. Here, then, at last is the bond that unites you all, 
no matter how diverse your calling may appear to be. 
If you shall do useful things, you will all be doing the 
same thing, you will be doing one thing, you will be 
doing the work God sent you into this world to do. 

In the study of this text I learn : 

III. The method of successful doing. 

I. "Forgetting the things that are past." This is the 
first condition. There is always a great temptation to 
look back. This, you will remember, was the fault of 
Lot's wife, and you will recall the terrible fate that over- 
took her. This strange piece of ancient history is also 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 61 

very modern history. Every man who turns his back 
to the future and his face to the past becomes a statue 
or pillar. He stays right there while the rest of man- 
kind go on. The man who habitually looks back has 
reached the end of his journey. He makes no more 
progress than the post to which you tie your horse, and 
is not half as useful. Students who come to the end of 
their college course sometimes hesitate and look back, 
and sigh for the days that are gone and lament the 
giving up of the dear associations. If any of you are 
troubled to-day with such a feeling, let me exhort you 
to take to yourselves the declaration of the apostle: 
''Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching 
forward to the things which are before, I press on 
toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of 
God in Christ Jesus." Remember, too, that no man who 
lives in the past can ever do his duty in the present. It 
is a very common thing for men to be so enamored with 
the past that they are absolutely disqualified for the 
service of the present hour. They imagine everything is 
going to the bad because new thoughts and new methods 
have driven out the old. They have not learned that 
-every age has its own ideas and methods, born of its 
own conditions, and in their ignorance they would turn 
the world back upon itself and reinstate the ideas and 
methods of a former generation that may have served 
their time well, but which have been outgrown by the 
world as it goes on toward its majority and the fulfill- 
ment of its appointed destiny. To such men the old is 
orthodox and the new is heretical. The old is sacred 
and the new is profane. If they fail to reverse the 
wheels of progress, they become grumblers and com- 
plainers, and make life a burden to themselves and to all 
who are so unfortunate as to fall within the radius of 



62 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

their influence. It is by no means an uncommon thing- 
for men to drop out of the procession and allow the 
world to go on and leave them behind. In fact, it is a 
rare thing for a man to hold his place in the ranks to the 
end of life if he lives to be old. It is a very common 
thing to see men standing by the side of the road with 
their faces to the rear, and calling on the advancing hosts 
to about face and return to the flesh-pots of Egypt. This 
we may excuse and pity in the old, but when the young- 
men take such an attitude the spectacle calls not for pity, 
but disgust. No greater calamity can befall an enter- 
prise than for such men to get the reins into their own 
hands. Then they will turn the chariot around and 
drive back to the regions long since deserted by all en- 
terprising souls. Such men not only can not do their 
duty to the present, but they can not do justice to the 
present. ''Having eyes they see not, and having ears 
they hear not." The lessons of all past experiences are 
lost on them. They see only one thing — namely, the 
great past rendered glorious in their eyes by the halo 
of sentiment — and they would tie the world to the stake 
their fathers drove, and place under the ban of excom- 
munication any one who would presume to have a new 
thought or introduce a new method. Wherein the new 
differs from the old, it must in their views of the case 
be wrong, no matter how beneficent the results may seem 
to be. What, then, you may ask, is the value of senti- 
ment? Sentiment deals with the past. Is it therefore 
useless? Should all sentiment be eschewed? Should all 
the glory of the past be despised and forgotten? I 
answer. No ; a thousand times. No ! Sentiment has its 
place. It is not a useless thing. Otherwise God would 
not have made us capable of such a tender feeling. It is 
the poetry that mingles with the severe prose of every- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 63 

day's experience. It is the flower-bed in the kitchen 
garden where the vegetables for the table grow, more 
beautiful, and in its way not less useful, than they. 
Sentiment has its value. I go further, and say it is abso- 
lutely necessary. It is not a useless thing to place the 
bouquet on the coffin-lid and plant the flower on the 
^rave. It is not a waste of time to visit the old home- 
stead and look at the old hearthstone around which the 
sacred circle now forever broken once gathered. It is 
not a foolish thing to meet occasionally around the festive 
"board and recount the scenes and words and acts of de- 
parted years. Sentiment is a divine thing. It fills a 
large place in life and will doubtless occupy a large space 
in heaven. Sentiment is the very breath of poetic fervor. 
It warms like the genial fire in mid-winter when the 
frost is on the window-pane. The heart would become 
"very cold and hard without sentiment, and life w^ould 
iDecome a dreary waiting-time. But sentiment should be 
kept in its proper place and be preserved for its proper 
use. It should be used as seasoning and not be made the 
only dish on the table. It should be used rather as an 
appetizer and not become the substantial course of the 
meal. Yes, by all means let us look at the past, not for 
the sake of dragging it into the present or of carrying 
the present back to it, but for the sake of inspiration, for 
the sake of the present, for the sake of the future ; that 
we may remember to do our duty to the present and 
meet our conditions as faithfully as did those whose 
memory touches our hearts. If we love the past, in 
manner and measure, as we ought to love it, we will 
"be stronger for the present and better panoplied for the 
future. A man who loves his mother as he ought to 
k)ve her will love his wife as she ought to be loved ; but 
he. is a foolish man who despises his wife because she 



64 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

does not act and dress and think just as his mother 
acted and dressed and thought. Young people, love your 
old home, but do not let your affection for your old 
home make you a carping critic in your new home. Love 
your college, but do not allow your love to be confined 
to the little space of time during which you were con- 
nected with it. On the contrary, let your love overflow 
such meager boundaries and take hold of the past and 
reach out to the future. Be true sons and daughters of 
your alma mater in the largest sense in that you have a 
sympathy limited only by its history — past, present and 
prospective. Love your alma mater of yesterday and 
to-morrow as you love the institution of to-day, then 
are you worthy to be enrolled among the alumni and to 
receive the highest badge of distinction and honor that it 
can bestow. 

2. The second condition of successful doing is re- 
vealed in the language, "Stretching forward to the things 
which are before." This means that you must take the 
forward look. Lift up your eyes and behold the super- 
nal heights to which your journey is tending, and be 
drawn forward by a great expectancy. Live in the be- 
lief that the golden age is before. Believe that greater 
things will yet be done than have ever yet been accom- 
plished, and resolve to have a hand in the doing of these 
nobler things. Your vision should be larger than that of 
those who have gone before you. You stand as it were 
upon their shoulders. You ought to see farther and 
clearer than your fathers did. You hold a position 
higher up on the mountain-side than they were permitted 
to occupy. Your horizon ought to be larger than theirs. 
Do not be guilty of supposing that all the glory of living 
is in the past, that all noble achievement is behind, and 
that life henceforth must be mere commonplace, void of 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS ~ 65 

all originality, at best but a copy or reproduction of that 
which has gone before. Live in the belief that greater 
things await your doing than may have yet been per- 
mitted unto man to do, and this will be true even if you 
do the same things that others have done, provided only 
you do them in a greater way. There are future astron- 
omers greater than Copernicus or Galileo or Newton or 
Kepler; future philosophers greater than Plato or Aris- 
totle or Bacon or Mill ; future scientists greater than 
Davy or Aliller or Agassiz or Tyndall ; future theolo- 
gians greater than Tertullian or Clement or Jerome or 
Chrysostom ; future reformers greater than Luther or 
Calvin or Wesley or Knox ; future historians greater 
than Motley or Hume or Gibbon or Macaulay; future 
preachers greater than Spurgeon or Beecher or Brooks 
or Talmage ; future physicians greater than Jenner or 
Pasteur or Koch or Harvey ; future statesmen greater 
than Gladstone or Bismarck or Jefferson or Lincoln. No, 
young people ; never imagine that all greatness is behind, 
but be perfectly assured that the greatest things are still 
before, and live under the inspiration of that thought, 
for only thus will you attain unto your highest estate. 
The great men of earth have been men who could take 
the prophetic outlook, men of large expectancy, men 
of sublime faith. When a man lacks the prophetic vision 
he is doomed to live on the plane of mediocrity or still 
lower down. The young as a rule have hope, and this is 
one reason why the young man is rapidly coming to the 
front everywhere and why so many that have scarcely 
passed the meridian of life are being left behind. When 
a man drops out of the procession and stands looking 
back, the world goes on and leaves him. It has no use 
for him. It wants men in the lead who have piercing 
eyes to look into the future and who are sustained by 



66 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

a sublime confidence in a glorious outcome for all the 
toil and struggle and effort. It wants men who have 
visions and not men who dream dreams, men who live 
in prospect rather than in retrospect, men who believe it 
is worth while to fight because there is a glorious prize 
to be won. This condition will be comparatively easy 
for you to fulfill now because you are young, and the 
young are proverbially hopeful. Twenty years from 
now you will be in greater danger, and happy will you 
be if you shall come down to the last day of life with 
hope still fresh and bright and the prophetic vision still 
undimmed. 

3. The third condition of success is indicated by the 
words, 'T press on toward the goal." Strenuousness is 
an indispensable quality. The ardent, zealous, insistent 
man reaches the goal and lays hold of the prize. The 
world has no prize for the loiterer. It pays no wages 
worthy the taking to the easy-going man. Life is a 
race; you must run to win. Life is a battle; you must 
fight to conquer. Life is a voyage; you must put on 
steam and hoist sail to triumphantly reach the harbor. 
If you hesitate or procrastinate, the gale that would have 
borne you triumphantly into port will dash you on the 
rocks in the midst of the ocean. The lack of strenuous- 
ness accounts for much of the failure in the world. Well 
does the apostle bring out the thought, "Stretching for- 
ward to the things which are before, I press on toward 
the goal." You can see the runner with the body in- 
clined forward and with outstretched arms, with muscles 
tense and with nerves wrought up to the highest ten- 
sion, pressing forward toward the goal. That, young 
people, is the picture of life that I would have you carry 
with you as you go forth from these walls to enter upon 
the race of life. The picture, not of my making, but 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 67 

drawn by the pen of inspiration. Those of you who wish 
to take Hfe easy ''go 'way back and sit down," and look 
back if you choose, for it does not make much difference 
which way you look. Go to sleep and dream, but re- 
member that one day you will awake to the awful reali- 
zation that time is gone with all its possibilities, and 
eternity is upon you with all its terrible realities. Then 
yours will be the bitter wail, "The harvest is past, the 
summer is ended, and I am not saved." God pity the 
lazy man, for it takes the infinite patience and longsuf- 
fering of God to pity such a creature. God bless the 
industrious man, for under his magic touch the wilder- 
ness is transformed and the desert and waste places of 
earth are made to blossom and bud like the rose. 

4. This text also teaches that there is a real prize to 
be gained. That life is to many a bitter disappointment 
can not be disputed. Many who start out in youth with 
high hopes and great expectations come to the end with 
hopes blasted and expectations disappointed. Conse- 
quently the question is seriously asked, *Ts life worth 
living?" and many unhesitatingly give a negative answer. 
Life, they tell us, is a bitter disappointment. Its prize 
is a "will-o'-the-wisp" that eludes the pursuer, a mirage 
that kindles hope only to plunge the soul in deep despair. 
But, young people, I am persuaded that all such gloomy, 
pessimistic views of life are as false as they are dis- 
couraging. I do not believe our heavenly Father has 
put hope in the heart of his child that he may disappoint 
it, or has given him bright visions of that which has no 
reality. No, be assured there is a real prize to be gained 
that will compensate you for all your effort, a reward 
that will repay you for all your labor. Life is worth 
living because it leads to a reward worth having, nor do 
you have to wait for all your pay till the end is reached. 



68 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

Much of it you will get as you go along. You will get it 
in the consciousness you will have of your own expand- 
ing powers, in the delight you will take in the service 
you will render to needy men, in the gratitude you will 
receive from those to whom you lend a helping hand, in 
the satisfaction you will feel in the consciousness of duty 
well done, in the blessedness you will experience in the 
approval of your own conscience and the approbation of 
God. But no matter how great the reward you receive 
as you press onward in the course, at the end there awaits 
you a glorious prize that has been the stay and support 
of noble souls amidst the deepest discouragements and 
direst trials of life. This prize sustained Paul, as is 
shown not only by this text, but in the language, "I look 
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which 
are not seen." This prize sustained our Lord, for it is 
said that ''he for the joy that was set before him endured 
the cross and despised the shame." Let this prize be 
your comfort and inspiration, but remember that it is a 
prize of a high calling. Choose a high calling. Enter 
upon no business unworthy of a man made in the divine 
image. Choose no occupation that does not make for 
the good of man and the uplifting of the world. Then 
will your course be ''as the path of the just that 
groweth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day." 
Then in the end you will find that the various walks in 
life that you have chosen have led you all to the same 
goal, the great white throne of God, and the great prize 
will be the crown unfading and eternal bestowed by the 
hand of the Father. Young people, we send you forth 
with confidence, yea, with cheerfulness, because we be- 
lieve that should our pathways never cross in this world, 
we will meet again at the end of the journey in that glad 
presence where there is fullness of joy. 



SERMON VII. 

Wisdom the Portion of the Soul* 

Text. — Prov. 1:1-9: 

**The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 

To know wisdom and instruction ; 

To discern the words of understanding; 

To receive instruction in wise dealing. 

In righteousness and justice and equity; 

To give prudence to the simple, 

To the young man knowledge and discretion : 

That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; 

And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound 

counsels : 
To understand a proverb, and a figure. 
The words of the wise, and their dark sayings. 
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; 
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. 
My son, hear the instruction of thy father. 
And forsake not the law of thy mother ; 
For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, 
And chains about thy neck." 

I. Here we have a very wonderful man making- a 
very wonderful proposition. In the utterance of prac- 
tical maxims of life, Solomon stands pre-eminent. He 
sought wisdom more than any other gift. When per- 
mitted by God to choose that which he most desired, he 
chose wisdom. His request was honored, and the result 
is conspicuously manifest m his writings. Solomon was 
the great master in the writing of Proverbs. No other 



♦Parkers "People's Bible," Vol. XIII.— Prov. i : i-ip. 

69 



70 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

writer can approach near enough to him to even permit 
us to make a comparison. This kind of Uterature is per- 
haps the most difficult of all to produce, as must be ap- 
parent to all who realize its nature. A proverb is a short 
sentence conveying a great moral truth of practical 
bearing in a concise and pointed form. He is an ex- 
ceedingly happy man who can utter even one proverb. 
Such an one makes a permanent contribution to the 
assets of the world. He gives something that will live 
and bless mankind. He is a benefactor. Solomon is said 
to have uttered three thousand proverbs. Truly he was 
a wonderful man. 

This very wonderful man makes a very wonderful 
proposition. He offers to invest the young man with 
wisdom and discretion. Here the word "young" is em- 
phatic. This word makes the proposition wonderful. 
He does not propose to give wisdom to the old man. 
That would not be at all strange, but it would not be 
nearly so mighty in its benefits. Mr, Pitt, the great 
English statesman, said in reply to Robert Walpole : 
*'The atrocious crim.e of being a young man I shall 
neither attempt to palliate nor deny. I trust, however, 
I may be of that number whose follies cease with their 
youth." In the old we naturally expect wisdom and dis- 
cretion. Experience is a great school, and the old have 
had much time to learn the lessons taught in this school.. 
He is surely a dull student who does not learn much in 
the school of experience. Most men do learn valuable 
lessons in this way. This should teach us not to despise 
the advice of the old. It is, however, sad to reflect that 
just at the time men are best prepared to live they are 
ready to die. Solomon truly proposed a wonderful thing. 
He will give wisdom to the young man. He is the man 
who of all others needs it most and can make the best use 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 71. 

of the gift. He assumes that it is entirely possible for 
a young man to be a wise man. He evidently believes in 
the great possibilities of youth. Can we see any reason 
for Solomon's optimistic view of young people? Surely 
it is not based on universal observation. H we base a 
conclusion on what we see in a majority of instances, 
yea, on our own experience, we can not agree with Solo- 
mon. The young are prone to make mistakes. We 
excuse much of folly in the young simply on the ground 
of youthful inexperience. We all, as we grow older, 
become conscious of the mistakes and follies of youth. 
Be it observed, however, that this is not a question that 
can be settled by majorities. It is not a mathematical 
problem merely. One instance is sufficient to establish 
the possibility. Can you find one young man of wisdom 
and discretion? Then I can point out the goal that is 
possible for all. Nay, more, can you find one young man 
who is wise in one particular instance or in one line of 
conduct? Then I can point out what all can do in many 
instances. I can indicate what the prevailing course of 
life may be. 

This proposition of Solomon is exceedingly sug- 
gestive. 

I. It incidentally shows what constitutes the true 
and only satisfying portion of the soul. 

I. Every organ or faculty of man is met by its ap- 
propriate correspondence. The eye was made for light, 
the ear for sound, the heart for society. The one corre- 
sponds to the other. The organ or faculty is not com- 
plete in itself. It was constructed with reference to its 
appropriate external and corresponding reality. In this 
it finds its satisfaction. A man may choose to live in 
darkness, but his eye will never be satisfied. It will 
finally perish unless it is met by that with reference to 



72 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

which it was constructed. The Hght is in a sense good 
to the eye. A man may lock himself up in a hermit's 
cell where even no sound can reach him, yet his ear will 
offer a constant protest and his heart will rebel. The 
one who comes and offers light to the eye, sound to the 
ear, companionship to the heart, makes a most reason- 
able, gratifying proposition. Possibly Solomon may be 
doing something entirely as reasonable in making this 
proposition. Yea, is it not certain that he is making a 
very rational offer in that he offers to the soul its satis- 
fying portion? 

2. The negative side may help us to see the positive 
side in a clearer way. In fact, it fully establishes the 
truth of the proposition. Vanity and frivolity can never 
satisfy the mind. Our minds may be for a time diverted 
in this way, but they are never fed. Afterward there 
comes a sense of awful hunger and bitter disappoint- 
ment. I may appeal to the experience of every one Who 
has sought satisfaction in this way. How is it with the 
student who has spent his time in vain and frivolous 
pleasures? How is it with the young man who never 
undertakes any serious work in life? A disappointed 
mind is an awfully unpleasant companion. Material 
things can never satisfy the mind. No finite thing — 
nothing you can weigh or measure, nothing you can esti- 
mate in figures — can ever satisfy the soul. All finite 
things are too small to fill the infinite soul. The honor 
and distinctions that belong to and are limited to the 
earth can never satisfy the soul. They are too short- 
lived. After they are all worn out, the soul still lives 
and is as hungry as if it had never tasted of these things. 
Wisdom alone satisfies, because the soul was made for 
wisdom. What light is to the eye, what sound is to the 
ear, what society is to the heart, what food is to the 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 73 

hungry, wisdom is to the soul. It is its hght, its music, 
its vital breath, its life-giving portion. 

3. The wisdom that satisfies is an ever-increasing 
portion. Do not imagine that wisdom is a fixed, finished 
product, of definite size and dimensions, that can be con- 
ferred as an absolute and fixed quantity. The wisdom 
of to-day is but the earnest of that which may be ours 
to-morrow. Wisdom is as variable as knowledge, since 
it is knowledge applied to highest and best uses, and 
knowledge is never ended. It is like the rising sun, 
that shines with ever-increasing splendor until it reaches 
the zenith of its glory. We are wise relatively. Wise 
as respects the knowledge of to-day, but the wisdom of 
to-day will not suffice for to-morrow. To stop learning 
is really never to have begun. Here is great advice: 
Know wisdom, perceive the words of understanding, re- 
ceive the instruction of wisdom. Never get too smart 
to listen, perceive and receive. The wise man of to-day 
may be the fool of to-morrow, and he will be the fool of 
to-morrow if the evening marks the end of progress in 
knowledge and wisdom. A very wise man once said: 
*T count not myself to have attained ; but this one thing 
I do, forgetting the things that are behind, and pressing 
forward to those things that are before, I press up to 
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in 
Christ Jesus." This fact needs to be especially empha- 
sized on such an occasion as this. We are constantly 
coming to endings in life, and yet in one sense we never 
come to an ending. Every ending is a beginning.. The 
word "commencement" is not an ending, it is a be- 
ginning. 

4. A large part of our ever-increasing portion con- 
sists in the practical application of our knowledge. "A 
man of understanding will attain unto wise counsels," 



74 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

wise plans, practical methods of work, ability to adjust 
means to ends. Wisdom is an individual possession. It 
belongs to the man himself. It enlarges, ennobles, satis- 
fies, but wisdom is not an end in itself. You are not to 
be wise simply for wisdom's sake. You are not to seek 
wisdom for its self-ennobling tendency and power. You 
are not to be wise for the pleasure it affords. Wisdom 
has an outward and practical purpose. You are to be 
wise as a means to an end. You are to be wise for the 
world's sake. You are to be wise for the sake of the 
power it gives you to ennoble the lives of others. You 
are to be wise for the sake of the good it enables you 
to bring to the world. Wisdom is for the sake of 
counsels, plans, methods, right ways of doing things, that 
life may be made as effective as possible, that larger re- 
sults may come in the way of good accomplished. Wis- 
dom that begins and ends in self is a poor thing. 

II. We incidentally get a hint of the vital connec- 
tion between the inward and the outward, between the 
invisible and the visible, between the immaterial and 
the material. 

I. This connection is recognized by God in the con- 
stitution he has given to man. We say the body is not 
the man ; that personality is independent of materiality ; 
that the impalpable, thinking, reasoning, feeling mind or 
spirit constitutes the ego of which the body is but the 
instrument. But God has joined the soul and body ; 
the immaterial and material are joined in a divorceless 
union* in the accomplishment of all high and holy ends. 
So far as we now see, we could not know each other 
except as the mind is revealed in the outward, the soul 
in the body. I know John Smith by his shape, size, color 
of hair, eyes, tones of voice, words expressive of his 
characteristic modes of thought. We come into each 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 75 

other's lives in helpful ministry, or the reverse, through 
the outward and material manifestation. 

2. This necessary connection is recognized by God 
in giving to man the perfect revelation of himself. God 
is spirit, and yet the spiritual God must marry himself 
to man to reach and influence him in the most powerful 
way. God manifest in the flesh is the highest example 
of the union of the immaterial with material, the inward 
with the outward, the spiritual with the carnal. 

3. This connection is recognized by Christ in the 
propagation of his work in the world. He has ascended, 
but he must have a body here, hence his church, which 
is the body of Christ. The spiritual Christ incarnated — 
married to the material. Through this the spiritual 
Christ comes in contact with the world. 

4. This connection throws a flood of light on the 
nature and purpose of education. Education is not for 
the individual's sake. It is not a subjective possession. 
The soul, in all that it is or may become, has a purpose 
outside of itself. You are debtors to all men. This con- 
nection has given the world certain rights and priv- 
ileges. It has a right to say : What advice can you 
give us in this emergency? What solution can you 
offer for this difficulty? What matters it if you can 
name the forces of nature, trace the orbits of planets, 
recite the facts of history? What can you do in this 
crisis? What help can you give us? It has a right 
to say: What can you do for us by virtue of your 
superior advantages and attainments? If this is not 
true, by what right does the State thrust its hand into 
the pockets of its citizens to sustain state colleges? By 
v^hat right does any institution of learning ask benev- 
olent men for help? By what right does any young 
person accept the help thus offered? 



76 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

III. We are next led to consider the genesis and 
highest development of true wisdom. 

''The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowl- 
edge." Knowledge is the basis of wisdom. Wisdom 
is knowledge applied to best ends. 

1. It follows, then, that wisdom is a development. 
It begins in knowledge, and knowledge has its beginning. 
Things that begin are always subject to the law of 
growth. Trees do not burst forth from the earth in 
full size. Fruit does not suddenly appear on the tree 
in perfect and fully developed form. Every organic 
thing commences with a small beginning; a seed, a 
germ, slowly develops until the perfect product appears. 
Shall it not be so with the mind and all the faculties^ 
powers and possessions of the mind? Is it unreason- 
able to suppose that wisdom may have its beginning, 
its partial development and its full development? The 
blade, the ear and the full corn in the ear is a uni- 
versal law. 

2. The doctrine that wisdom has a beginning is in 
harmony with nature and reason. It does not spring 
forth full grown like Minerva from the brain of Jupiter. 
This being true, note well what the wise man says : 
''The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." 
Here is the beginning of that which alone will satisfy 
the soul and qualify man for highest usefulness. This 
does not mean slavish dread, but respect born of a 
recognition ^nd appreciation of God in all his infinite 
attributes. This expression is peculiar to the Old Testa- 
ment because God's revelation had not progressed far 
enough to beget more than wholesome respect and the 
kindred feeling of reverence. True wisdom is the 
product of the God idea treasured in the human soul, 
and it begins with the fear of God. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 11 

3. Note well, however, that this is only the beginning 
of wisdom. This suggests a fuller, yea, a complete and 
perfect, development. God does not intend our feeling 
for him to end in fear ; that is, in mere reverence and 
respect. Can the husband be satisfied with the respect 
of his wife? Can the father be content with the fear of 
his child? If these poor hearts of ours crave for some- 
thing more than respect, how about the infinite heart of 
God? Paul said: ''The love of God constraineth us." 
"Perfect love casteth out fear." *'He that feareth is not 
made perfect in love." "We love God because he first 
loved us." If fear were sufficient, the Bible would have 
ended with Malachi. All this wonderful New Testa- 
ment literature would never have been written. Wisdom 
would have had its beginning, but not its perfect devel- 
opment. In order to create love, there must be some- 
thing more than abstraction. There must be personality. 
When respect ripens into love, then wisdom shines forth 
in all of its beauty and glory. Love lies at the bottom of 
all business and professional success. Love lies at the 
bottom of all domestic peace. Love is the essence of 
all true patriotism. "Love is the fulfilling of the law." 
Love of all lower things flows in fullest and divinest 
measure when it takes its rise in the highest fountain — 
the love of God. To love God is to love every good and 
noble thing, because God is the impersonation of all good. 
To love God is to love every creature of God. To love 
God is to love everything that shows an attribute of God. 
Can we love the fruit and not the tree? Can we love 
the stream and not the fountain? No. To love the 
tree is to love the fruit; to love the fountain is to love 
the stream. To love God is to love humanity. 

4. A fearful contrast is disclosed in the seventh 
verse: "Fools despise wisdom and instruction." In what 



78 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

does this folly consist? They are fools because they 
despise wisdom. Fools actually for the want of wisdom, 
and fools intensified because they despise wisdom. There 
is hope for a fool if it results simply from the lack of 
wisdom, but none for the one who despises wisdom. 
He is a fool because he refuses to use his God-given 
faculties. He shuts his eyes and ears and heart to the 
abundant evidence furnished by the outward world, and 
even to the evidence written in his soul. He even is deaf 
to the inner voice calling out after God. He is a fool be- 
cause he lets go of the only force that can draw man up- 
ward. He is a fool because he disregards the evidence of 
all human experience. Why do fools despise wisdom and 
instruction? Because they are too lazy to gain knowl- 
edge. Because they are egotistic. In love of self and 
present attainment all larger attainment is lost. Because 
of its moral effect. It would change the whole course of 
life, and they don't want to change. They want to live 
after the flesh. They want life to minister to carnal 
pleasures and desires, and therefore they despise wisdom. 
Because they are imprisoned in narrowness and darkness. 
They love darkness rather than light. 

5. There is nothing so liberalizing as the idea of 
God. Without this thought the soul shrinks and withers ; 
with this idea it expands and grows every day. No man 
can be large in soul who allows small thoughts to occupy 
his mind. Never waste your time over small things or 
unimportant questions ; first of all, because it is a waste 
of time, and, second, because it destroys the mind. A 
great thought has wonderfully expansive power. It 
makes room for itself, and in so doing makes room for 
other great thoughts. There is no thought so great as 
the thought of God, and, consequently, none that is so 
salutary in its influence. The fear of God is the begin- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 79 

ning of wisdom, and the love of God is the perfection 
of wisdom. 

IV. We here are reminded of a universal and 
cheering truth ; namely, that all wise progress ends in 
beauty. 

1. Let us not imagine that we can eliminate the beau- 
tiful without loss. In fact, the beautiful is married to 
the useful in divorceless union. All true progress is 
associated with beauty and ends in beauty. Not an apple 
or an ear of corn or a grain of wheat can be produced 
without calling into co-operative effort the beautiful. 
The end of every true course, whether in nature or 
human life, is lost in the very effulgence of beauty. The 
tree with its blossom is beautiful, but the tree with its 
fruit is more beautiful. The stalk of golden wheat is 
rich in its beauty. The closing year is beautiful. 

) "September strews the woodland o'er 

With many a brilliant color ; 
The world is brighter than before, 
Why should our hearts be duller? 

"Sorrow and the scarlet leaf, 

Sad thoughts and sunny weather. 
Ah, me ! this glory and this grief 
Agree not well together." 

2. With these thoughts in mind, let us read the 
eighth and ninth verses : ''My son, hear the instruction 
of thy father, arid forsake not the law of thy mother; 
for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head 
and chains about thy neck." The word "son" may be 
equivalent to students or pupils. Let us consider it for 
a moment. In that view of the case, your college is to 
you both father and mother. It has stood to you in that 
relation. "Hear the instruction of thy father, and for- 
sake not the law of thy mother." This means that. 



so BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

moving in the line of moral discovery, you are safe. Life 
need not be frittered away in making experiments. The 
great general laws of life and action have been dis- 
covered. Causes and effects have been accurately de- 
termined. You need not go out in the dark to feel your 
w^ay with uncertainty. You need not live tentatively. 
Accept the lessons of wisdom and experience couched in 
the instructions and laws of father and mother to you. 
The reason for this is given : "For they shall be an orna- 
ment of grace unto thy head and chains about thy neck.'' 
Do not think this is offering a small, unworthy motive. 
Do you think it would have been better to say such a 
course will make you more useful, or perchance will 
bring larger reward? Is not all this, and more, em- 
braced in this reason? The wise man says it will make 
you beautiful. It will adorn you as a beautiful garment 
or a chain of gold. There is nothing so beautiful as a 
true, noble life. Nothing men love to look upon so 
much as right actions. Do not think the world wants to 
see you play the fool. He who plays the fool may get 
the applause of fools, but he who lives a true, useful 
and noble life is an object of beauty that the truest and 
test love to look upon. Right conduct is always an 
ornament of grace and a chain of gold. 

3. How beautifully all this harmonizes with the de- 
scription given us in the Bible of the end of true life. 
There may be hard, weary marching, rugged roads, but 
you will find many flowers by the way, and the end is a 
very climax of beauty. The gates of pearl, the streets 
of gold, the jasper walls, the tree of life, the ever-green 
fields — all this is at the end. In harmony with this, I 
quote a passage from the author of my text: "The path 
of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and 
more unto the perfect day." In the early morning light, 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 81 

when the first faint flush of day paints the eastern sky, 
objects do not all appear clearly outlined and well de- 
fined, but it is a growing light that has appeared. It 
shines more and more until the perfect day, when all 
darkness and indistinctness vanishes and you see all 
things in God's clear sunlight. So may it be with you. 
Perhaps you may not see perfectly clearly. Objects may 
seem indistinct in outline and more or less confused, but 
the light will become continually stronger. The purpose 
and work of life will become more and more distinct, and 
at last in the end, when life's sun is setting, you will 
realize the truth and beauty of the Scriptures : "In the 
evening time it shall be light." No dark, gloomy clouds 
shall obscure your setting sun, but the light of earth 
shall be swallowed up in the light that beams from the 
throne of God, and darkness and night shall flee away. 
Dear young people, I am burdened this morning with 
a feeling of deepest anxiety, yea, of awful responsibility. 
Life is becoming to me more and more a thing of terrible 
earnestness and seriousness. To miss the high end of 
being, to fall below your great possibilities, is a terrible 
thought to me. Will you fail? Will you come short? 
Will you disappoint those who have striven to invest you 
with noblest principles and illumine your minds with 
divinest light? No, you will not fail — no true, honest 
man ever fails. "He shall not fail nor be discouraged," 
was said prophetically of Christ, and we may say it of 
you to-day. Be courageous, be diligent, be honest, be 
large-hearted, be wise, and the end is assured even now. 
Your teachers send you forth with confidence. Your 
friends see you go with hope and great expectancy. 
Angels are beholding you with joy and pride. God your 
Father and Christ your Saviour regard you with infinite 
love. 



82 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

"Go forth to win — the day is thine, 
By guiding strength and grace divine, 
For martyrs, saints and angels see. 
And wait the cry of victory. 
Go forth, go forth, O soldier strong and brave. 
Go forth, go forth, nor let thine ardor fail 
The weak to lift, the lost to save. 
Go forth to fight as soldiers must. 
Nor ever let thine armor rust. 
Thy Leader to the front has gone, 
And heavenly voices call thee on." 



SERMON VIII. 

The Ideal Manhood and How to Attain It 

Text. — 2 Cor. 3 : 18 : "But we all, with unveiled face behold- 
ing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into 
the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the 
Spirit." 

1. Wendell Phillips, one of America's greatest re- 
formers and orators, believed implicitly in the power of 
the idea incarnate. He said in substance, Put an idea 
on two feet and bid it travel across the continent, and 
it will revolutionize the continent. An idea on two feet 
is a striking way to express the thought of incarnate 
truth, and truth is never so powerful as when it is pre- 
sented in concrete form. 

2. Human character is developed largely by imita- 
tion. We become whatever we may attain unto, not be- 
cause we entertain certain ethical or philosophical doc- 
trines, but because we see certain ideas embodied in a 
life which we consciously or unconsciously imitate. Man 
is pre-eminently an imitative being. This faculty or 
tendency shows itself in early childhood, and is operative 
to a greater or less extent throughout man's entire life. 
But, in order to imitate, man must have a concrete model, 
and this fact explains the statement of Wendell Phillips. 
To put an idea on two feet means to express a great 
thought in concrete form, which thus becomes a model 
for imitation and consequently takes hold of man in the 
most potent way. This leads us to consider : 

I. The true ideal that is necessary to the best de- 
velopment of human character. 

83 



84 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

1. I think I may safely say that the sum total of our 
best ideas when presented in concrete form becomes our 
ideal. Our ideal lawyer, doctor, minister — in short, our 
ideal man — is the one who embodies our best conceptions 
in the given direction. If our conceptions are meager or 
inadequate, our ideal will be correspondingly defective. 
If our conceptions are comprehensive and just, our ideal 
will be correspondingly noble and exalted. 

2. It is well to npte at this point that there is nothing 
more real than an ideal. This statement at first thought 
may seem paradoxical, since many think of the ideal as 
an unreal, imaginary thing, and yet a little reflection will 
convince any one of its truth. Every man has his ideal^ 
and this exercises a most potent influence over him. 
Men may speak disparagingly of the ideal, and contrast 
it unfavorably with what they call the real or the prac- 
tical, but they are none the less dominated by it, even 
though it be unconsciously. 

3. There is nothing so practical as an ideal, because 
it is always present, always operative, whether we recog- 
nize it or not. The struggle of the child on the play- 
ground to surpass his companions in his feats of childish 
sport ; the efforts of the young man or woman to surpass 
all others and win the academic prize ; the farmer as he 
strives to cut a straighter furrow than his neighbor; the 
competitions of business, the rivalries of the professions, 
the emulations of scholars — are all the outgrowth of the 
ideal. Nay, more, the earnest desire, the intense yearn- 
ing, the noble impulse, the lofty aspiration — all of which 
are the incentives to great efifort and the parents of great 
achievement — are the children begotten by the ideal and 
born out of the unfathomable depths of the soul. To 
have no ideal is to be less than a man. To have the true 
ideal is to be almost a god. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 85 

4. The realization of the ideal is the attainment of 
the highest glory. All men desire glory, because all have 
ideals, but all men do not desire the same glory, because 
all do not have the same ideals. The glory of a Herod 
lay in debauchery and sensuality. The glory of a Judas 
lay in cunning falsehood and avarice. The glory of a 
Samson lay in physical development and strength. The 
glory of a Plato lay in wisdom. The glory of a Caesar 
lay in the acquisition and exercise of power. The glory 
of a Crcesus lay in the accumulation of wealth. The 
glory of a true Christian lies in moral and spiritual ex- 
cellence. His ideal incarnate is the man Christ Jesus. 
This was doubtless the conception of the apostle John 
when he said : 'Tt doth not yet appear what we shall be, 
but we know when he shall appear we shall be like him, 
for we shall see him as he is." 

5. It is well in this study to classify ideals, and I 
think we may broadly group them into four great heads. 
With many, wealth is the highest good, and the man of 
wealth is the ideal man. With some, power is the sum- 
mum bonum, and the man of power is the highest type 
of manhood. With some, wisdom counts for more than 
anything else, and the wise man to them is the ideal man. 
With some, intrinsic manhood is the highest attainment, 
and the truly good man is the truly great man. These 
broad, general classes are susceptible, more or less, to 
modification, and there are doubtless many minor ideals 
that exert more or less influence over men, but I thmk 
for practical purposes the classification here given is just 
and adequate. 

6. A man never rises above his ideal, but he may fall 
far below it. "Aim high if you would shoot high," 
simply means, Have a lofty ideal if you would reach a 
high end. 



86 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

7. The truth here set forth is illustrated in national 
life. Nations differ from each other very greatly, owing 
to the different ideals that they have adopted. Ancient 
nations were characterized, some by wealth, some by 
power, some by wisdom, but none by moral or spiritual 
excellence, because this ideal did not come into the pos- 
session of any one of the great nations of antiquity. 
Modern nations are characterized in the same way. I 
have seen it stated somewhere that the ideal of England 
is wealth, that the ideal of France is power, that the ideal 
of Germany is wisdom. Perhaps this explains the mad 
rush for wealth in America, since we have been dom- 
inated more by England's ideal than by that of any other 
nation. It is a lamentable fact that no modern nation 
has yet come into the possession of the ideal of moral 
and spiritual excellence, although it is a cheering fact 
that there is a growing class in all Christian nations that 
have laid hold upon this highest of all ideals, and it gives 
promise of a final redeemed humanity in which all men 
shaH be dominated by the idea of intrinsic goodness. 

8. This leads us to inquire more specifically, What 
is the true ideal? And the answer is. It is the divine 
realized in the human. As before remarked, the attain- 
ment of the ideal is the glory of the individual. With 
this thought in mind, let us consider the request that 
Moses made to the Almighty. He said : "Lord, show 
me thy glory." Imagine what God might have answered. 
He might have said. Behold my wealth, for I own all 
things. He might have said. Behold my power, for I 
speak and it is done, I command and it stands fast. He 
might have said, Behold my wisdom, for I know all 
things. But it is a significant fact that God did not 
point to any of these things, great as they are in them- 
selves, but he did say : "Behold, I will make my goodness 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 87 

to pass before thee." Here is God's ideal excellence. It 
consists in his moral and spiritual perfection. God is 
rich, God is powerful, God is wise, not for the sake of 
these things in themselves, but for the sake of his good- 
ness. These great possessions do not take the place of, 
"bu^ simply magnify or contribute to, his goodness. Yet, 
another fact deserves notice. God, in order that we 
might see and understand his ideal, as fully as it is pos- 
sible for the human to comprehend the divine, incar- 
nated himself. Jesus Christ was the "brightness of the 
Father's glory." Here it was that God's glory, which is 
his goodness, was manifest in most effulgent form, and 
in a manner within the reach of our limited faculties. 
Consequently, says the apostle : "We, beholding as in a 
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same 
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the 
Lord." The Bible is a great mirror that reflects God's 
goodness as it is manifest in the person of Jesus Christ. 
He is the central figure in the Book. Everything else 
is secondary, and has significance and importance only 
as it relates to him. By looking into this mirror we see 
this image. Now, it is God's purpose that the divine 
ideal should become the human ideal. Therefore, we 
look at the imiage presented to us that we may see its 
perfection and loveliness and be changed into that image. 
In other words, we make the divine ideal our ideal and 
thus determine the highest destiny that is possible to 
man. 

II. We next inquire, How is this ideal practically 
realized? 

I. It is attained by a gradual process. Our text 
shows that the process is gradual. "We are changed 
into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the 
Spirit of the Lord." Development is a law of God's 

(4) 



88 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

great universe. Everything attains unto its highest es- 
tate by a gradually unfolding operation. Perfection is 
reached by slow and even laborious steps. This law 
holds both in the material and spiritual realms. The 
earth was slowly brought to a condition suitable for the 
abode of man, and the process of preparation is still 
going on. The plant is slowly developed from the seed. 
It is as the apostle says, ''First the blade, then the ear, 
then the full corn in the ear." Man individually, morally 
and spiritually is not an exception to the general rule. 
He is gradually unfolded. He is molded and shaped by 
many influences. His environment exercises much in- 
fluence upon him. It therefore follows that we should 
not be discouraged with the young too soon. It takes 
time to make a man, and this is the lesson that it is hard 
for young people to learn. They are naturally impatient ; 
they want to rush at once, as Horace says, "into the 
midst of afifairs." They can not understand that the 
time factor must necessarily enter into their preparation. 
Owing to this impatience, speedy agencies of prepara- 
tion have been invented. There are time-saving devices 
proposed for preparing young people for the duties of 
life. There are short-cut routes pointed out by which 
they may reach the desired goal. Many have been de- 
ceived in this way to their everlasting hurt. There are 
hotbeds for growing lawyers, doctors, preachers ; in 
short, for producing men for every position in life. 
All this is to be deplored. The period of preparation 
may be somewhat shortened by good methods of training 
or preparation. But still it remains true that the time 
factor is essential and can not be eliminated except to a 
very limited extent. It takes time for the mind to ma- 
ture, it requires time for it to grow, and the young 
people who try to hasten the process do it at the expense 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 89 

of final efficiency. The man who takes time to make 
thorough preparation for Hfe's work gains immensely in 
the long run. 

2. In the next place, preparation is an indispensable 
process in an education. No one can grow in any way 
without appropriating that which is necessary to growth. 
The body can not grow without food; no more can the 
mind. There is no magic process by which the mind in 
any of its faculties can grow without the necessity of 
preparation. No one can have a stronger mind to-mor- 
row than he has to-day unless in the meantime he feeds 
his mind upon that which is necessary to growth. This 
points to the value of good reading, right companionship, 
for here are the sources of the food necessary to the 
mind. Everything that enters into the mind changes it 
for better or worse. If the food is wholesome, the 
mind gains in strength; if not wholesome, or poisonous, 
the mind is correspondingly damaged. It is wonderful 
how many opportunities there are for receiving good. 
Some may imagine that they have no chance for 
growth. I have even heard some complain of their 
lack of opportunities. This is a great mistake. In 
this day and age of the world, opportunities abound on 
every hand. The trouble with so many young people is 
that they fail to seize the opportunities that are theirs. 
They miss so many splendid chances for feeding the 
mind on good, wholesome food. They read trashy liter- 
ature w^hen good literature is available. They seek evil 
companionship when good associations are within reach. 
They miss hearing lectures and sermons that would give 
much valuable food for thought and reflection. In these 
days of schools and colleges and churches and lecture 
bureaus and publishing-houses, we place upon the market 
the best thought of the world at almost nominal prices, 



90 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

and no one ought to complain of his lack of opportunity. 
David made a wonderful prayer. He said : *'Rid me and 
deliver me from the hand of strange children whose 
mouth speaks vanity, and whose right hand is a right 
hand of falsehood; that our sons may be as plants grown 
up in their youth, and that our daughters may be as 
corner-stones polished after the similitude of a palace." 
The idea in David's prayer seems to be this : He wanted 
the young men to be like plants, and a plant is a very 
hungry thing. It takes up from the soil the things that 
are necessary to its growth. I have seen a thrifty tree 
grow in a very stony place. It was able to find sufficient 
food to make a great tree. What more suggestive sym- 
bol of young manhood could be employed than this? In 
the prayer for the daughters, David suggests polish, re- 
finement, culture, which is also an indispensable process. 
Well might David pray that the boys should be like trees 
and the girls Hke polished corner-stones. 

3. The next thing necessary to growth is distribution. 
It is a law of God's great universe that nothing lives or 
exists merely for itself. The law has been pointedly 
and forcefully expressed in these words, "Each for all 
and all for each," and Gk)d seems to have arranged it so 
that nothing shall grow or attain unto its fullest develop- 
ment that refuses to comply with the law of distribution. 
Appropriation is for the sake of distribution, and growth 
results from this double process. This law is illustrated 
in the development of the physical man. To receive 
without giving is destructive. God requires that every- 
thing shall give back the full equivalent for everything 
received in order to grow. One can not have a strong 
body by simply feeding it. Exercise, exertion, effort and 
action are necessary in order to the best physical devel- 
opment. The same thing is true of the intellectual man. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 91 

A strong, well-developed man can not be produced by 
the one-sided process of receiving. The school that 
adopts the pouring-in process, so called, and neglects the 
drawing-out process, never produces strong, well-devel- 
oped men. The true teacher demands of all his students 
that they shall receive and give, and the giving-back proc- 
ess is no less important than the receiving process. This 
law holds good in the spiritual domain. True Christian 
manhood is a result of a double process of receiving and 
giving. He who neglects to feed upon the spiritual food 
that God has designed that he should have will not grow. 
Neither will he grow if he refuses to give back in appro- 
priate effort and service the equivalent of what he has 
received. The divine process of growth is therefore a 
double process. God's blessings come to men through 
their fellow-men. Note that Jesus said that if any man 
desires to be first he shall be last of all and servant of 
all, and the apostle declared : "It is more blessed to give 
than to receive." I take it that this means not only that 
there is more enjoyment in giving than in receiving, but 
that the growth of the individual is accomplished in 
giving, hence the blessedness of it. The human soul 
seems to be constructed on this plan. You can not fill 
it by putting into it, nor can you exhaust it by taking out 
of it. The more you put in, the more it will hold, and 
the more you take out, the more there is left. The 
fountain of love can not be exhausted by loving, but the 
more love there is bestowed or given out, the greater the 
capacity for loving. The same thing is true of every 
faculty of the mind. To use it is to keep it, to refuse 
to use it is to lose it. 

4. A practical application of these principles may help 
us to a clearer understanding of them. There seems to 
be four great classes resulting from the application of 



92 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

these principles, or from a failure to do so. Paul says : 
''Scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perad- 
venture for a good man some would even dare to die, 
but God commendeth his love toward us in that while 
we were yet sinners, God died for us." Here three 
classes are mentioned ; namely, righteous men, good men 
and sinners. One more class is referred to by our 
Saviour in the parable of the good Samaritan who found 
the man who had fallen into the hands of robbers and 
offered him generous assistance. The priest had passed 
by without offering to help. The Levite had done like- 
wise, but the good Samaritan, when he saw the man's 
distress, put him on his own beast and took him to the 
inn and paid the charges until he should recover. Jesus 
said : "Who was neighbor to the man ?" Dr. Adam 
Clarke, in commenting on the passage from Paul men- 
tioned above, says that the motto of the righteous man 
is : "What I have is mine, and what you have is yours." 
This is the motto of strict business integrity. He further 
says that the motto of the good man is : "What I have is 
yours, and what you have is your own ;" that the motto 
of the sinner is: "What I have is mine, and what you 
have is mine." We may add that the motto of the neigh- 
bor is : "What I have is yours, and what you have is 
mine." It will be seen at once that the difference in 
these classes lies either in the application or non-appli- 
cation of the principle of growth pointed out above. To 
say, "What I have is mine, and what you have is yours," 
does not recognize the necessity of exchange, except in a 
limited way; namely, in the payment of absolute debt or 
obligation, consequently the giving process is more or 
less limited, no matter how great the receiving process 
may have been. To say, "What I have is mine, and what 
you have is mine," is utterly selfish. The whole process 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 93 

of receiving and giving is entirely eliminated. To say, 
''What I have is yours, and what you have is mine," is 
the law of fair exchange or mutual helpfulness. This 
is a splendid principle that will result in growth, but it 
is not the highest principle. To say, ''What I have is 
yours, and what you have is your own," means that I 
will give back to mankind whatever God has given me, 
whether I receive anything in return or not. This is the 
principle of the Master. This is the principle of true 
Christianity. Herein it rises above all human organiza- 
tions. The best human organization says : "What I have 
is yours, and what you have is mine." This means. You 
help me and I will help you. Christianity says : "What 
T have is yours, whether you return the benefit or not." 
Therefore, says Paul : "I am debtor to all men" — debtor 
to the man that persecutes me as well as to the man that 
benefits me, debtor to every creature. 

III. I must not fail to call attention to the impulse 
necessary to realize the true ideal. 

Two methods have been proposed : 

I. The method of moral philosophy consists in know- 
ing the right and doing it by an efifort of cool reason and 
determination. It assumes that all that is necessary to 
right action is for the individual to know the right and 
then deliberately make up his mind to do it. Nothing 
better than this has ever been produced by the world's 
philosophers, and consequently all human societies for 
the salvation of men have ended in failure. They are 
beset with two weaknesses. First, there is no recognition 
of sin. It assumes that the man can completely cut him- 
self ofif from the past by a resolution to do right in the 
future. The second weakness lies in the fact that the 
needed impulse to right action is not given. There is an 
assumption that all the impulse needed is a resolution on 



94 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

the part of the individual, a determination to do the right 
when it is known. 

2. In contrast to this I wish to present the method o£ 
the divine philosopher, Jesus Christ. Jesus declared that 
the impulse to right action is not cool determination, but 
love. When asked what was the greatest commandment 
he said: ''Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
might and mind and strength, and the second is like unto 
it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." He also 
said: "He that hath my commandments and keepeth 
them, he it is that loveth me," and again: "li ye love 
me, keep my commandments." Herein lies the character- 
istic difference between Christianity and all other sys- 
tems. Christianity bases right action on love of a divine 
person; not the love of an abstraction, not admiration 
for a principle, but love for the ideal man. This, ac- 
cording to the teachings of Christianity, will lead inta 
ideal life. How does the mother suffer for her child? By 
the cool determination to do it? Not by any means. It 
is love that holds her by the side of the cradle day after 
day, night after night. Cool determination would fail 
where love triumphantly succeeds. What keeps the 
father faithful to his duties from early morn to late at 
night, day in and day out, year in and year out, never 
thinking of giving up? Is it a cool determination to do 
what he conceives to be his duty? I trow not. It is 
love that holds him steadfast. Why does the patriot risk 
his life, becoming a mark for the enemy, standing before 
the cannon's mouth without a tremor or without a 
thought of desertion? Do you imagine that it is a cool 
determination to do his duty as he sees it? Or is it the 
thirteen dollars a month, the price paid to our soldiers 
during the Civil War? Is it not for the love of country, 
love of home, love of children to whom he desires ta 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 95 

transmit the blessings of a free government? Here is 
the divine principle, here is the divine impulse needed to 
impel a man onward and upward in the path that leads 
to the goal of largest, fullest development. 

Here let me conclude with the words of the great 
apostle : *'It doth not yet appear what we shall be." I 
interrupt to inquire : John, have you considered the man 
of wealth in all his magnificence and splendor, who is 
so much admired and whose position is so much coveted? 
Have you considered the man of power as he leads his 
-army from conquest to conquest, from victory to victory, 
until he wields a scepter over a conquered world ? Have 
you considered the man of wisdom who has acquired such 
a .vast storehouse of knowledge and has wrested from 
unwilling nature the secrets that she so carefully guards ? 
Yes, he replies, I have considered all these, but still **it 
doth not yet appear what we shall be." Then he con- 
tinues : **But we know that when he [Christ] shall ap- 
pear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." 
Here is the climax of human achievement, accomplished 
through the operations of the necessary principles of 
growth, and impelled by the divine impulse of love for 
the ideal man. 

That we may finally see Him as He is, and be like 
Him, is my prayer. 



SERMON IX. 

The Governing Principle of Life 

Text. — Col. 3 : 17-23 : "And whatsoever ye do in word or 
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. . . , And whatso- 
ever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men,'*^ 

In this text the governing principle of life is set 
forth. We are not to go forth to life's work in our 
own name or in our own strength. We are not to labor 
for the praise of men. We are not our own. We be- 
long to the great proprietor of the universe. In his 
name and under his eye the work of life is to be per- 
formed. This principle requires that: 

I. We should take a comprehensive view of life's 
w^ork. That means we should adopt the divine view. 

There are three great commencement days in human 
existence. The day of birth, when we begin to be chil- 
dren; the day of graduation, when we begin to be men; 
the day of death, when we begin to be glorified spirits^ 
or take up our abode with those who have missed the 
high calling of life. Between these three stages of ex- 
istence there is a necessary and intimate relation. 

I. We are born into this world as children that we 
may prepare to be men. God has arranged that children 
shall be under their parents and teachers that they may 
be developed and trained for the duties of manhood. 
The parent's work comes naturally first. It consists pri- 
marily in training and developing the affections. The 
child feels before it thinks ; it loves before it reasons. In- 
tellectual culture should be subordinated to heart culture 
during this period. No rigid line of separation can be 

96 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 97 

drawn. Both kinds of culture must to some extent go 
together, but the education of the heart should hold the 
chief place during the earlier years of life. 

The teacher comes next. His duty is to add to heart 
culture the training of the intellect, by which we mean 
the thinking or rational powers and the will. Heart 
culture is not to be neglected, but the training of intellect 
and will, which first occupied a subordinate place, must 
now receive larger attention. 

Graduation day does not mean that you have reached 
the end of culture, but that a certain degree of develop- 
ment of heart, intellect and will has been attained, by 
which you are fitted to undertake the earnest and serious 
business of life. Education must continue, but hence- 
forth to this must be added the practical duties of life. 

2. Your second great commencement day is the time 
when you are born into the estate of manhood in which 
you are to perform the practical duties of life and learn 
how to perform the part belonging to glorified spirits ; 
to fail in this involves the loss of the soul. 

The love which first clung to father and mother, 
afterward to brothers and sisters and schoolmates, should 
be so enlarged as to embrace in its scope this great world 
of humanity. You should go forth to perform your part 
as great lovers of mankind. Your intellects, trained and 
developed by the varied processes and exercises through 
which you have passed, should now think for the world. 
Your best thoughts should now be given to men. Your 
will power, developed and strengthened as a part of 
your education, should now lead you into noble, unselfish 
actions. Not until feeling, controlled by thought, finds 
expression in action for the good of men, is your duty 
done. 

3. When you leave your alma mater you enter another 



98 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

great school which is intended to prepare you for the 
greater, nobler life into which you will graduate on the 
day of your death. All the varied and changing experi- 
ences through which you will pass, will but serve to fit 
you for the great responsibilities of the life eternal. 
Happy will it be for you if the experiences of life shall 
form a golden ladder upon which you shall climb up to 
the palace royal of the King eternal. Then, upon your 
next graduation, God will hand you your diplomas and 
confer your degree, while angelic choirs will shout p^ans 
of victory. 

4. This, then, may be regarded as one of the great 
crisis days of your history, and, as such, a fitting occasion 
upon which I may point out to you the governing prin- 
ciples out of which successful life springs. It is a time 
peculiarly fitting for words of counsel, warning and ex- 
hortation. It is a time for recounting tender memories 
of the past and for forecasting that mysterious unknown 
future into which you are now so soon to enter. 

As a comprehensive rule of life, I would commend 
to you the words of the great apostle: "Whatsoever ye 
do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord 
Jesus." 

II. We should adopt Christ's view of men. 

I. Christ's view of men was distributive. It was 
particular and individual. He saw men as separate, in- 
dependent beings and not as masses. Christ's unit of 
value, by which the value of the universe was measured, 
was the individual man, apart from any adventitious or 
accidental circumstance. In Christ's scale the man him- 
self was placed apart from condition or circumstance, 
and his value declared. Man was estimated apart from 
the accidents of wealth or power or any of the acces- 
sories that may attach to men. How different this from 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 99 

all other men. Others said : "Man weighs little, but man, 
plus wealth or power or knowledge, weighs much." 
Christ said: ''All else is nothing; man alone is great." 
His religion was a personal religion. It was a seed to 
be planted in the individual heart. Others tried to lift 
up the masses by philosophy or legal enactment, or, 
rather, to lift up the classes. Christ sought to lift up 
the individual by uniting the broken connection between 
man and God and thus lift up the masses. His method 
was individual. He illustrated it by the woman seeking 
the lost coin, by the shepherd searching for the one lost 
sheep. He spoke of the joy in heaven over the one 
saved soul. His commission was very particular. He 
sent the one man after the one soul. 

2. No system that lacks this view has any lasting- 
hold. All history proves this. Robespierre based an 
argument for the being of God on the fact that atheism 
was an aristocratic belief. All systems of infidelity 
sooner or later contract themselves within the circle of 
a very few minds. Infidelity can never become the per- 
manent belief of any people. This is shown by the fact 
that no matter in what guise it comes (and it has come 
in every conceivable guise and under all conditions), 
popular opinion has finally cast it aside. Atheism never 
has and never will appeal to the universal heart. The 
human soul cries out after God. "Lord, show us the 
Father, and it sufficeth us," expresses a universal feeling. 
It is perfectly safe to say that the religion that appeals 
to a class simply, is not of God. The religion of Christ 
necessarily appeals to the universal human heart. No 
party that works for a class will permanently live. Class 
parties are at war with a divine principle that is funda- 
mental to human society. No government founded on 
an oligarchy will endure. Democracy is the ultimate 



100 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

form of government, and progress to this goal is in direct 
proportion to the intelHgence of men. 

3. Our duty, in the light of such facts, becomes very 
clear. ■ There is only one thing worth our effort, and 
that is man. Not riches, not glory, not power, but man 
apart from all such accidents. There is only one method 
that leads to success, and that is to deal with the indi- 
vidual. Christ's conversation with the woman at the well 
is an excellent example. He saw in a poor, sinful woman 
enough to call forth his best effort. Jesus of Nazareth 
wrote no book, but he set twelve men at work as indi- 
viduals with individuals, and their work consisted in 
producing individual faith in a divine person. The recog- 
nition of this principle leads us to make the most out of 
self. All true education is based on this thought. 

III. We should adopt Christ's view of life's work. 

I. With Christ, every duty of life was religious. 
When we have separated the work of life into two parts, 
and called one part secular and the other religious, we 
have made a great mistake. With Christ it was just as 
religious to heal a man as to oft'er a prayer or a burnt- 
offering. Everything that helped man was religious. 
*'The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sab- 
bath." Some people are very fearful lest religion and 
business get mixed. That is just the trouble now. Too 
many divorce their religion from their business. They 
practice their religion only one day in the week. Some 
are afraid that religion and politics will get mixed. Some 
statesmen ridicule what they call Sunday-school politics. 
Let every vote you cast be a religious vote. Why do 
we go to church ? To be religious ? Oh, no ! To pre- 
pare ourselves to be even more religious the other six 
days. When a man confines his religion to one day in 
seven, he is an undesirable citizen. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 101 

2. With Christ no opportunity was too small to be 
embraced. Some think only those can glorify God who 
control large business enterprises, who are doing what 
appears to be the great things in the eyes of men. The 
tiny insect that floats in the sunbeam glorifies God as 
much as the leviathan that sports in the deep. The lily 
glorifies God as much as the cedar. Whether you man- 
age a railroad, or make one with your shovel, you can 
glorify God. Some are always waiting for the great 
occasion. God's method ought to teach us a great lesson 
in this regard. He attends to small duties as well as 
large ones. He takes as much pains with the eye of a 
fly as with that of an elephant. Some are mourning for 
the heroic days. The heroic days are now. It requires 
more heroism to do small duties than large ones. It 
requires more courage to walk the lonely sentinel's beat 
than to lead a charge before the enemy. Your success 
or failure in life will be determined by the way in which 
you attend to the small duties. God may have some work 
that the world calls great for one of you, but I know 
whom he will call upon to do it. He will choose the one 
who can attend to the little things of life faithfully and 
well. The one who does not despise the day of small 
things is the one who is ready for great things. But do 
not think anything God gives you to do is small. Any 
useful thing well done is in reality a great thing. 

3. With Christ life's work was service for others. 
He never took the selfish view. He did not regard his 
own powers as individual possessions to be used for indi- 
vidual or personal ends. He accepted every power as a 
gift in trust for others. He was here to be a minister 
and not to be ministered unto. This is the true view of 
life and its work. The servant is the only one whose 
place in the world has divine sanction. 



102 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

IV. We should endure all of the experiences of life 
in Jesus' name. 

1. Perhaps no one of you will get through life witli- 
out a great sorrow. As I look upon you to-day, I would 
say, God spare you, and yet such a prayer might be 
wrong. Your great sorrow may be your greatest bless- 
ing. Your trial may come, sometimes in one form, some- 
times in another. It may be loss of health. How will 
you meet it? It may be loss of friends. How will you 
bear it? The ancient Romans represented souls as puri- 
fied in three ways : by wind, by water and by fire. Winds 
of adversity, waters of affliction, fires of persecution, all 
can be made to work together for good. None of you 
will get through life without meeting with many vexing^ 
cares. Little things try the soul more than great sor- 
rows. Some can bear great sorrow better than little 
cares. Some lose their temper over the fit of a garment, 
and fume and fret and make themselves disagreeable. 
To meet small trials requires more heroism, or at least 
more discipline, than to endure great ones. Character is 
formed like the image, by small licks. Little chips are 
hewn off until the perfect image appears. Here we need 
to be on our guard. We fortify ourselves against the 
great trials. The way to conquer great trials is to pre- 
pare for small ones. 

2. We should accept the joys of life in Christ's name. 
It is a strange fact that prosperity is a greater danger 
to the soul than adversity. Life is, to some of you, full 
of joy. To all some great joy will probably come sooner 
or later. How will you meet it? Will you accept it as 
from God's hand, gratefully recognizing the giver, or 
will you take it with cold, stony hearts, with no sense of 
gratitude? Will you accept your blessings as a gift in 
trust and administer your trust in the interests of man- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 103 

kind? The apostle prayed that his friend might ''prosper 
and be in health as his soul prospered." It is only as the 
soul prospers that material prosperity is safe. Do not 
feel that your blessings are the result of your own 
shrewdness. Every blessing is intended to increase your 
power for good. The gift you to-day enjoy in your col- 
lege education simply means this : ''To whom much is 
given, of them much shall be required." 

V. It remains simply to call your attention to the 
manner of the doing : "Do it heartily as unto the Lord, 
and not unto men." 

1. No mere perfunctory routine service is worth the 
doing. Oh, the drudgery of such a service! Oh, the 
failure of such a service ! There is no reward for such 
a labor. What can repay the man for being a slave, 
even for a day? The man who rejoices in his work is 
the only real worker. 

2. Heart service alone is blessed and glorious. Put 
soul into what you do. The soul worker never fails. 
This is why such names as Michael Angelo, Praxiteles, 
Phidias, Beethoven, Mozart, and the other great workers 
in the varied fields of activity, have come down to us. 
They were soul workers. 

Oh, the joy of such a service ! It fills the world with 
music. Oh, the honor of such a service! It identifies 
the worker with God. Oh, the success of such a service! 
It means the reward of your heart's approval. It means 
the reward of man's approval. It means the reward of 
God's approval. It means a blessed returning. "He 
that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall 
doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves 
with him." This means the soul worker. The earnest, 
serious man. For such there is a glad home-coming. 



SERMON X. 

Vision as Influencing Life 

Text. — Acts i : 10-14 : "And while they were looking sted- 
fastly into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them 
in white apparel ; who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand 
ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from 
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him 
going into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from 
the mount called Olivet, which is nigh unto Jerusalem, a sabbath 
days journey off. And when they were come in, they went up 
into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both Peter 
and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Barthol- 
omew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the 
Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one accord 
continued stedfastly in prayer, with the women, and Mary the 
mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." 

I. The thing of supreme value constitutes our treas- 
ure. Our estimates of value are widely different. The 
thing of highest price with one may be that on which 
others place small value, and vice versa. It is very im- 
portant early in life for an individual to fix his mind on 
the one thing of supreme worth. With some the highest 
good is the possession of material things ; with others it 
is social position ; with others it is power ; while still 
others look upon knowledge as the summiim bonum. At 
the bottom of all this lies the idea of self; self-interest 
or self -gratification is the final test of value. Just here 
the differentiating characteristic of the Christian man is 
found. The thing that divides the true Christian man 
from the man of the world is found in the fact that the 
former has killed self and made the good of others the 

104 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 105 

end of life; while the latter makes self, and the selfish 
interests, the goal of his existence. 

2. It is important to notice that the supreme treasure, 
whatever it may be, takes possession of our hearts. The 
text says that where your treasure is, there will your 
heart be also. This is consequently a matter vital and 
fundamental. The direction of vision is determined by 
our hearts. The eyes follow the things we love, and this 
leads to action. The logical order is this : thinking or 
seeing, feeling, action. We can not change the order. It 
is psychologically fixed, which means it is constitutionally 
determined. Christ recognized this fact in the formation 
of the Christian system. He laid much stress on heart 
power. He said, "If you love me, keep my command- 
ments," and experience and observation teach us that no 
system that is purely intellectual, that leaves out of ac- 
count the feelings, has much power over men. In other 
words, a man can not be trusted to do what is right sim- 
ply because he knows what is right. He must be induced 
to love the right in order to control his actions. Conse- 
quently the Scriptures tell us that "as a man thinketh in 
his heart, so is he." 

I. In the attitude of these disciples we see the true 
direction of vision. 

It is said, as they gazed upward, two angels appeared. 
Angels appear only to the upward gazers. People with 
their eyes fixed on the ground see no angels. 

I. We may ask why they looked into heaven? The 
answer is plain, their hearts had gone there. Their 
hearts followed their treasure. Jesus, who had been 
the all in all to them, had passed into the heavens, 
and very naturally their eyes were set in the heavenly 
direction. It was not always so with them. Once 
they prized other things more ; their interest was in 



106 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

material things. Their eyes were fixed on the ground 
because their treasures were of the earth. Now there 
is a great change; their eyes look into the heavens. 
There had come to pass the elevation of the superior in 
their natures over the inferior. They had learned to 
measure things by different standards. The bread that 
Christ gave to them was more than physical bread. We 
may ask, Should a man despise material things? Should 
he recognize no claims of the body? By no means. I 
believe in a Christianity that takes care of the physical 
man ; in fact, anything else is a sham,, a mere sentiment, 
a delusion. Some imagine that Christianity has nothing 
to do with the practical things of life. There could be 
no greater mistake. Christianity has everything to do 
with the daily things of life. But here is a matter not 
to be overlooked: Christianity takes care of the physical 
man not simply for the sake of the physical man, but for 
the sake of the higher things to which the physical man 
must contribute. In other words, the body is the servant, 
never the master. The Christian takes care of the body 
that he may have sufficient strength for the accomplish- 
ment of his divine task. But we should keep the body 
in its proper place ; namely, require it to occupy the place 
of servant, and never usurp the place of master. The 
physical man is never the end of life, but a means to the 
true end. At best, it is merely the instrument of the 
soul. We should, therefore, make it the best instrument 
possible in order to the achievements of our highest pos- 
sibilities. The old monkish idea of mutilating the body 
is right in that it seeks to keep the body under. It is 
wrong in that it fails to recognize the divine functions 
of the body in the higher activities of the soul. What, 
therefore, is our duty? Manifestly, to glorify the body^ 
to develop it to the fullest extent, to care for its wants. 



• BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 107 

to make it a strong, healthy body ; but by all means know 
that its place is not on the throne, but as a servant, at 
the foot of the throne. Reason, judgment, and especially 
judgment, must constitute the royal part of our nature. 
This must occupy the throne. Even the heart, great as 
it is, must not usurp the place of judgment. Conse- 
quently the Bible tells us : "He who trusts to his own 
heart is a fool." It is the place of judgment to decide 
after the evidence is in. It is the place of the heart to 
lay hold of that which judgment has decided is right. 
AVhen this is done, right action must result. 

2. We will always imitate the disciples on this oc- 
casion. We will look upward for the same reason they 
looked up. Our eyes will follow our treasure. If they 
are of the earth, our gaze w411 be downward. Some one 
may ask when all the treasures go up will not the soul 
wish to go up? Yes, but this should never be possible 
in the sense that our treasures are not on the earth. Our 
treasures may be in heaven and still on the earth. It is 
one thing for a man's treasures to be on the earth; it is 
another for his treasures to be of the earth. We lay up 
treasures in heaven by doing God's work here on the 
earth, and we should so train our affections that as long 
as our souls are on the earth we should be willing to 
stay. This can -be done by learning the true unit of 
value, which is man, and by understanding the true work 
of life, which is service to man. This is the highest 
patent of nobility. Surrounded as we are by men and 
women on the earth whom we can serve, so long we 
have treasures on the earth. Will some one say that 
when we look at sinful man our gaze is drawn from 
heaven, and that consequently we will descend? No, by 
no means is this true. When we look at a man in the 
right way we are looking heavenward, because man is a 



108 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

native of heaven ; he came from heaven, his kinship is in 
heaven, and his destiny potentially is there. We look not 
at his sin, but at his possible greatness. This should 
never be forgotten. Paul said he had a desire to depart 
and to be with Christ, but for the sake of his brethren 
he was willing to remain ; that is, for the sake of service 
he was willing to stay. " So we should always feel. 

3. What, therefore, is the proper study of man? It 
has been very appropriately said, "The proper study of 
mankind is man." This means that it behooves us to 
know ourselves, to understand our physical, intellectual 
and spiritual characteristics. This is true in both a gen- 
eral and special sense. We should become acquainted 
with our own individual aptitudes and idiosyncrasies, and 
it is not the less important that we should know our 
weaknesses. But, in addition to this, everything that be- 
longs to man (and all belongs to him) is also the proper 
study of man, for to study man is to study him as he is 
affected by his environment, and by the world in which 
he lives. One may, therefore, properly study physical, 
intellectual and moral science, history, language, philos- 
ophy ; in fact, everything pertaining to man, or that 
affects him in any way. There is nothing, however, that 
so dignifies and ennobles all our efforts as to consider 
man's high origin or exalted destiny. A being who is a 
child of the King, and destined to be the companion of 
un fallen spirits, is so exalted that he dignifies every- 
thing with which he comes in contact. No one who 
grasps these two great truths — namely, his high origin 
and exalted, potential destiny — can consent to deport 
himself in a manner unworthy of such an origin, or fall 
below his fullest possibilities through his own short- 
comings. He who drops to a low level by his own folly 
has never discovered himself. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 10» 

II. The question of the angels, "Why stand ye 
looking up into heaven?" suggests the true sphere of 
duty. 

1. It might seem strange that either God or angels 
should ever condescend to ask man questions. Surely, 
the questions can not be for the sake of information. 
What can man answer that God and angels do not know ? 
But it should be remembered that God does not ask 
questions for the sake of information, but for our sakes. 
Sometimes the most forceful way to impart information 
is by way of a question. The very effort to answer turns 
the thoughts into right channels, and brings to the atten- 
tion practical duties that might be otherwise overlooked. 
When God said to Adam, "Where art thou?" the ques- 
tion was calculated to show to xA^dam that he was not in 
his proper place, and possibly suggested to him the 
reason why. When God said to Cain, "Where is Abel, 
thy brother?" the question was calculated to suggest the 
wonderful fact that man is his brother's keeper, and it 
behooves him to know where he is. The question, "Why 
seek the living among the dead?" was put by the angel 
to the women on the morning of the resurrection, and 
ought to have served as a reproof for their lack of faith, 
for Christ had told them that he would rise again on the 
third day. The question, "Why spend your money for 
that which is not bread, and your labor for that which 
satisfieth not?" is an impressive way to teach the lesson 
of economy and carefulness. So this question, "Why 
stand ye looking into heaven?" suggested the practical 
duties that demanded attention. We may gaze heaven- 
ward for a brief period for the sake of inspiration, but 
for the most part our duties are here and now and on 
the earth. 

2. We learn from all this that God's questions seldom 



110 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

need answers, except to our own souls ; in fact, they 
answer themselves. The question of the angels to the 
upward gazing disciples suggests its own answer. They 
could do nothing for Jesus by gazing. He had passed 
beyond their reach, but he did have need of services 
that they could render for him, which was not something 
to be done in heaven, but here on earth. "Inasmuch as 
ye have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye 
have done it unto me," therefore, *'why stand ye gazing 
up into heaven?" The time had come for them to de- 
scend from the mount and take up the work committed 
to their hands. 

3. The relation of sentiment to practical duty is here 
seen. Sentiment should not be despised. People who 
speak disparagingly of sentiment little understand its 
power. Sentiment is inspiration, stimulation. Sentiment 
inspires to duty. Sentiment lies back of the noblest deeds 
of self-sacrifice and love. No one who lacks sentiment 
can do his duty truly to the world. We may apply this 
in many ways. We come to the church on the Lord's 
Day because of sentiment. We want to have our souls 
thrilled with the songs of Zion and lifted up to God on 
the wings of prayer; but this is not for the sake of the 
sentiment, but for the sake of the duty that lies before 
us that must be done. We need strength, we need in- 
spiration, we need courage. We go to look at the graves 
of the dear ones and drop our tears upon them. Some 
m.ay say it is pure sentiment. This is a great mistake. 
Show me a man that can not weep over the dead, and I 
will show you a man who will not serve the living. We 
visit the spot where the great victory was won, and weep 
as we remember the fallen, and rejoice as we remember 
the victory. Men call this sentiment. So be it, but it is 
a sentiment that makes a man true to the duties and re- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 111 

sponsibilities of citizenship. Christianity is full of senti- 
ment, and yet there is nothing so active, so practical, as 
a true Christianity, and the sentiment in a large measure 
accounts for this fact. Sentiment is only wrong when 
we give ourselves to it too miich, when we live merely 
for the sake of the sentiment, when it becomes the end 
of our very existence. It is a great thing to gaze into 
heaven, but we should not linger too long with our gaze 
turned upward. Let us turn our faces earthward with 
the inspiration gained, the deeper love begotten, and 
thereby meet in a larger way the responsibilities laid 
upon us. 

III. We see in this account the proper preparation 
for the accomplishment of great things. 

I. When they returned to Jerusalem they went into 
the upper chamber. They were not self-sufficient. They 
needed the help that only comes down from above, and 
therefore they continued with one accord in prayer. Do 
not despise the man who prays ; do not call his exercise a 
silly or childish thing. He is storing up the moral dyna- 
mite that will shake the very foundation of things. He 
is gathering power for a great achievement. There is 
no time so valuable as the time spent in prayer. He 
who comes from his knees to the hard duty comes with 
the best possible equipment. He is strongest who prays 
best. He who can prevail with God is the one who con- 
quers. These disciples had before them the greatest task 
ever given to man. Without technical education, with- 
out wealth, without social position, without influential 
friends, they had been commissioned to go forth to the 
conquest of the world. Not only did they lack the ele- 
ment of power that men call great, but they went forth 
to meet the strongest and bitterest persecution possible. 
All the great forces of the world were arrayed in active 



112 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

opposition to them : the culture, the wealth, the power 
of the world were all against them. There was no pos- 
sible hope except in God. Therefore, they went into the 
upper chamber and fell upon their knees and called 
mightily on God. Their Master had foreseen this neces- 
sity, and told them to tarry until they should be endued 
with power from on high. They relied not on the 
strength that is of the earth, but on the strength of the 
omnipotent, omniscient, eternal One. Will such men 
fail ? No ; as long as God occupies the throne, and holds 
the universe in the hollow of his hand, such men will 
succeed. 

2. The secret of failure is here seen. It lies in failure 
to pray, failure to rely on God, failure to trust in him 
for the verification of his great promises, failure to get 
ready for the practical duties of life. Success is never 
an accident, neither is failure a matter of chance. Each 
is married to its proper cause. You will succeed because 
you have got ready for the place in which you shall be 
put in the providence of God, and most of all because 
you hold on to God with a firm grip. He is weak in- 
deed who trusts to the arm of flesh, no matter how 
strong that arm may be. He is strong whose strength is 
multiplied by the strength of God. This is true in indi- 
vidual life; it is equally true in collective life. The 
church is strong, not because of its numbers, or its 
wealth, but because of its faith in God. 

IV. This passage points to a great fact that should 
serve as the highest inspiration to duty. 

I. No man can do his best work who is not lured on- 
ward by a great hope. Hope is called the anchor of the 
soul, but hope points to something in the future, never in 
the past. Paul said, ''Forgetting the things that are 
behind, and looking forward to the things that are be- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 113 

fore, I press up to the mark for the prize of the high 
calling of God in Christ Jesus." It is said of Jesus that 
"for the joy that was set before him he endured the 
cross and despised the shame." There was never a 
greater fallacy than the motto, ''One world at a time." 
This logically leads to the motto, ''One day at a time," 
and no man can live right who lives just simply one day 
at a time. Who could endure the labor and the toil, the 
anxiety and the pain, the sorrow and the disappointment 
that come into life if he lived simply one day at a time? 
It is because of to-morrow that we can live to-day right. 
It is the hopes for next year that enable us to do our 
duty this year. It is the life to come that enables us to 
live well the life that now is. 

2. There is no more inspiring event to which we may 
look forward than the second coming of our Lord. We 
are told that he will descend from heaven with a shout, 
and w^ith the voice of the archangel and the trump of 
God. Even the graves shall give up their dead, and those 
who remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the 
air, and so shall they ever be with the Lord. This is the 
supreme event to which every child of God must look 
with expectation. Jesus will come to make up his jewels 
and take his ransomed people home. We are also told 
that he will come to take vengeance on them that know 
not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. This event, therefore, is calculated to inspire 
both hope and fear : hope in every faithful child of God ; 
fear in every one who does not march under the banner 
of the King. It is an event, therefore, that touches all 
mankind. The last words that came to the waiting, up- 
w^ard-gazing disciples were : "This Jesus who was re- 
ceived up from you into heaven shall so come in like 
manner as you beheld him going into heaven." Fitting 



114 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

words, indeed, to be spoken to those who were sent out 
to the accomplishment of an important work. Fitting- 
words to those who went forth to suffer and to do and 
dare for Christ's sake. 

As you go forth to the duties of life, never forget 
that Jesus will come again ; that you will see him coming" 
as those waiting disciples saw him going; that you will 
meet him face to face, and hear the welcome words, 
"Well done, good and faithful servant," or those other 
awful, fateful words, ''Depart from me, ye workers of 
iniquity ; I never knew you." 

Conclusion : Young people, you have come to the top 
of Olivet. You have arrived at the end of the journey 
of preparation. As these disciples had for three years 
and a half been under the great Leader, and had now 
come to the hour of separation, so you have been work- 
ing with your teachers for the years that you have de- 
voted to your college course and must now separate from 
them. As the angels said to these upward gazers, so I 
say to you: "Why stand ye gazing into heaven?" Go 
down yonder to the city or the plain where are the 
masses that need your help, and as you go down do not 
forget first of all to enter the upper room and linger 
there for a time. Call upon God for the power from 
on high, which will not be denied you, and return to 
that room ever and anon for increase of power, for such 
additional measure of strength as your needs shall re- 
quire, and he who never disappoints the waiting and ex- 
pectant heart will be your portion. If I could feel that 
you would go down from this mountain as the disciples 
went down from Olivet, and would enter into the upper 
room, as they entered, I would know that you would 
go forth indued with the power from on high that would 
give you the victory as God gave it to them. 



SERMON XI. 

Duality the True Unity 

Texts. — Gen. i : 27 : "And God created man in his own image, 
in the image of God created he him ; male and female created he 
them." 

Gen. 2:18: "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the 
man should be alone ; I will make him a help meet for him." 

Eph. 5:31: "For this cause shall a man leave his father and 
mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be 
one flesh." 

I. There is a circularity in nature and in human his- 
tory that is very striking. Planets revolve on their axes 
and move in elliptical orbits. Day circles into night, and 
night into day ; summer into winter, and winter into sum- 
mer. The water is evaporated, carried over the land in 
mists, poured down in rain, runs off in rivers and is 
again evaporated ; childhood circles into manhood and 
back to childhood, hence the adage, *'Once a man and 
twice a child." Human history seems to run largely in 
circles. It is continually repeating itself. The materi- 
alist, deriving man wholly from the dust, leaves him 
finally in the dust ; from earth to earth completes the 
circle. 

"Earth to ©arth and dust to dust. 

Here the evil and the just. 

Here the matron and the maid. 

In one silent bed are laid. 

Here the vassal and the king 

Side by side lie withering. 

Here the sword and scepter rust. 

Earth to earth, and dust to dust." 

115 



116 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

The Bible, deriving man from God, leaves him finally 
with God. From heaven to heaven again completes the 
circle. Much more in harmony with the Bible idea is. 
this sentiment: 

"Whate'er of earth is formed, to earth returns. 
The soul of man, that particle divine, 
Escapes the wreck of worlds when all things fail." 

According to materialism, man is traveling the down- 
ward arc of the circle that ends in the grave. According 
to the Bible, man is moving through the upward arc 
that ends in heaven. 

2. Closely akin to this and equally noticeable is the 
duality that is seen in nature. In fact, the circularity 
seen in nature is often the result of the duality to which 
we allude, which will become apparent as we proceed. It 
is a principle of very wide application, both in the world 
of matter and the world of mind, that the highest results 
are wrought out through the co-operation of two factors. 
Every complete whole seems to be double. It requires 
two to form the complete unit. There is a dual process 
at work in the accomplishment of every beneficent result. 
These two factors are never the same in all respects. 
They manifest different and often apparently opposite 
characteristics, but they are never destructive of each 
other, but rather complementary. Light and darkness 
make up the unit called day. The storm and the calm 
are the two complementary modes of nature. To know 
nature, you must see her under both aspects. Heat and 
cold seem to mutually support each other. The proper 
blending of the two is necessary to the best results in 
the vegetable, animal or intellectual world. Planets are 
held in their orbits by two forces, centripetal and cen- 
trifugal ; both are necessary to avoid disaster. Cohesion 
and repulsion are two opposite forces, and yet both are 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 117 

necessary to produce given results. The different pro- 
portionate blendings of these two forces are seen in 
soHds, Hquids and gases. In the organic world this prin- 
ciple finds frequent application. In the vegetable there 
are the ascending and descending axes. The stem and 
the root are both necessary to the plant, and they must 
sustain the proper relation. In the animal world the two 
great divisions of male and female give a forcible illus- 
tration of this truth. 

3. By the side of this, the following truth must be 
placed : viz. : that everything must be devoted to the pur- 
pose for which it was designed in order to secure the best 
results. A sewing-machine can not be made to pump 
water ; a mowing-machine will not thresh grain. Every- 
thing must be devoted to its intended purpose. This 
truth finds very forceful illustration in the duality seen 
in nature. These two factors are distinct ; each has its 
ow^n work to perform ; neither can do the work of the 
other ; both must work together to produce the best re- 
sults, and the divorcing of these things that God has 
joined together always results disastrously. Night can 
not take the place of day, nor day of night. Summer 
can not do the work of winter, nor winter of summer. 
Cohesion can not do the work of repulsion, nor repulsion 
of cohesion. The root can not do the work of the stem, 
nor the stem the w^ork of the root. 

It is the chief purpose of this address to apply these 
principles to the great world of humanity, to which you 
go forth to take a prominent part. 

I call attention to : 

I. The duality of sex. Man is a dual unit.* 

I. After Adam's creation, there were but three con- 



*Parker's "People's Bible," volume on Genesis, p. 131. 



118 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

ceivable courses for God to pursue. Leave the man in 
solitude : this would have been an outrage on man's 
nature, a constitutional injustice. It would have been a 
half without its counterpart. It would have been as im- 
perfect and irrational as to create eyes without light and 
ears without sound. Man is not complete in himself. 
He needs and craves companionship. He can not live 
alone and be happy. Solitary confinement is men's worst 
punishment, and often results in insanity or suicide. 
Therefore God said: "It is not good for man to be 
alone." Make another man for companionship : if man 
were complete in himself, this would do, but he is not. 
One man can not supplement the deficiencies of another 
man. Men, when put by themselves, descend to lower 
conditions, as experience shows. Create a being who 
would be the counterpart in all respects of man — one 
who would make up that wherein he was lacking: this 
is the course God chose. He made a helpmeet, a sup- 
plement, and called her woman. It may be asked why 
God did not make man complete. As well ask why your 
arm is not your whole body or why a half was not made 
to be the whole. 

2. The history of woman's creation is suggestive of 
her true relations to man. The Bible never enslaves 
woman. She occupies a large and honorable place in 
this revelation. "Children, obey your parents." "Honor 
thy father and thy mother." Such is the spirit of the 
Bible. The "rib story," so called, is highly creditable to 
woman. It indicates that she was made by a double re- 
fining process ; woman is a part of man ; she was not 
built up independently. Woman and man together re- 
veal the completeness of the divine thought. She stands 
as the climax of the creation. Christianity exalts woman : 
"In Christ Je&us there is neither male nor female." 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 119 

3. A study of woman's characteristics shows her to 
be man's complement. She fills up that which man lacks : 
in her aesthetical nature she is a complement to man's 
utilitarianism. She loves the beautiful. Were it not for 
woman, there would not be many flowers. In her con- 
stancy and fidelity she is a complement to man's natural 
impatience. What mother ever gave up a wayward son 
or daughter? How long the wife clings to an unworthy 
husband ! In her natural hopefulness she stands as an 
offset to man's tendency to distrust. Hope is slow to 
die in woman's heart. In her love of home she presents 
a corrective for man's restlessness. This tendency to 
hunt new places, to seek for better conditions, is good, 
but it needs a check, and this woman furnishes. The 
home is peculiarly w^oman's kingdom. In her tender 
sympathies she presents a modifying influence to the 
greater sternness and coldness of man. Woman's heart 
is naturally a fountain of love and tenderness. Suffering 
seldom appeals to her in vain. The child soon learns 
this, and almost instinctively goes to its mother for sym- 
pathy. In the house of mourning and sickness, it is 
woman's presence that is oftenest seen. In her intuition 
she offers a substitute for man's logical tendency. Man 
prides himself on his reason. He lays down premises 
and draws conclusions, and imagines this alone is 
the process by which true conclusions are reached. A 
woman seldom goes the whole round of the circle — major 
premise, minor premise, conclusion — but at one step she 
reaches her conclusion. You ask her to give a reason 
for her conclusion, and she will answer, "Because it is 
so." I have, however, learned to be very slow to fly in 
the face of a woman's conclusions. Her intuitions gen- 
erally lead her to the right conclusions. In her more 
fervent religious nature she presents a restraint on man's 

(5) 



120 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

tendency to worldliness. Man magnifies the here and 
now. Woman's faith takes hold on that which Heth 
beyond the vail. In her adherence to principle she 
offers a correction for man's tendency to magnify policy. 
Man's first question is, "Is it good policy?" **Is it ex- 
pedient?" Woman's first question is, ''Is it right?" In 
her quiet, retiring modesty she acts as an offset to man's 
ambition. Man loves power, place, position. Woman 
seems to have little of such disposition. She does not 
care for office, but she is very particular who holds 
office. 

4. The divorcing of what God has .joined together 
always results disastrously. This is true in the family. 
One man and one woman is God's order. Polygamy is 
beset with many evils. In the school the same lesson 
is taught. One-sex schools are full of evils. Boys* 
schools develop carelessness, lack of refinement. Girls* 
schools develop romantic notions, gush, lack of solidity. 
Coeducation produces happiest results. The state bears 
witness to the same fact. The elements lacking in our 
politics to-day are just such as woman can furnish. We 
have too much policy and too little principle. We care 
too much about success and too little about right. Man, 
in selecting the candidate for office, says, "Can he win?" 
Woman says, 'Ts he pure?" "Is he honest?" "Is he 
fit?" The questions that appeal the strongest to men 
are questions of policy and finance ; the questions that 
appeal strongest to women are questions of principle and 
morality. Man says, "Protect pig-iron, lumber, sheep.'* 
Woman says, "Protect home, husband, children." 

5. Be it observed at this point that the best pro- 
tection for anything is its own inherent nature. I am 
not a special advocate of female suffrage, and yet I 
would not withhold the ballot from woman if she desires 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 121 

it. Some are very anxious about the effect of the ballot 
upon woman. They tell us she is too pure to descend 
into the dirt and filth of politics, that it will destroy the 
home, that the labor and responsibilities are too great 
for her. Now, I do not believe you can make woman do 
by law what is contrary to her nature. If it is contrary 
to woman's innate nature to vote, law will not make her 
vote. You can't make birds fly north in winter and south 
is summer by law. You can't make the cock sit on eggs 
nor the hen crow by law. Now and then a hen may 
crow, and, if she desires to do so, then let her crow. 
But, after all, there is much nonsense indulged in on this 
subject. The saloon is a filthy place, and yet the mother 
will go there to rescue her boy, nor is she less pure for 
going. The house of prostitution is a corrupt place, and 
yet the mother will go even there to reclaim a lost 
daughter, nor is her purity destroyed by going. To sit, 
night after night, by the bedside of sickness requires as 
much strength as to drop a ballot into the ballot-box, yet 
woman will do this long after man's strength is ex- 
hausted. I think much of the talk about woman's in- 
ability to grapple with the problems of government is 
nonsense. I hold that the average woman in our country 
is about as intelligent as the average man, and can be 
trusted to vote right. If she knows less about politics, 
it is because she has been denied political privileges. 
Given the right to vote, she will soon become informed. 

II. This great fact of duality in unity is seen in 
human life. 

I. In general, two factors are apparent. Prosperity 
and adversity, joy and sorrow, sunshine and shadow. 
Experience has shown us that both of these factors are 
necessary to the most perfect development of man. All 
prosperity hardens the heart; all adversity leads to de- 



122 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

spair. It is good to laugh and good to weep. Both are 
necessary. 

2. Business and professional life offer illustrations. 
The two factors of theory and practice enter into all de- 
partments of human activity. There is the theory and 
practice of farming, of law, of medicine, of teaching and 
of preaching. The ideal excellence consists in harmo- 
nious union of both elements; which is, however, far 
from universal. Some are great in theory and small in 
practice, and some excel in practice that know but little 
about the theory. 

III. There is a dual unity in Christianity. 

1. Salvation is secured through the co-operation of 
two agents, the divine and the human. Two factors must 
ever be kept in mind: What has God done to save man? 
What is man required to do to save himself? 

2. Christian motives are of two kinds : motives of 
hope and motives of fear. These may be called the cen- 
tripetal and centrifugal forces of Christianity. Neither 
can be dispensed with. 

3. There is a dual unity in Christian life. Christian 
life is composed of thought and action, of doctrine and 
practice. Christianity can never rest its claims on a mere 
question of doctrine. This may be important, but action 
is even more important. The two combined complete the 
circle. 

IV. The duality that exists in the individual man 
is also manifest. 

1. The man is composed of two factors, physical and 
intellectual. Both are important here in this world ; 
neither can be neglected except at the expense of the 
other. 

2. The world within is 'composed of two great realms: 
one of thought, the other of feeling. Man has an intel- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 123 

lectual and an emotional nature. He has a head and 
he has a heart. He can think and feel, he can reason 
and judge, and he can sympathize and love. 

3. Each of these factors has its own work to per- 
form, and they must work together in proper proportions 
to produce most excellent results. In some, intellect pre- 
dominates ; in others, heart powers. Both are needed, 
and the proper proportion should be maintained, and the 
one can never take the place of the other. The intellect 
may be compared to an oak ; ,the heart to a vine. The 
heart is the dinger by nature. Just here is where many 
make the fatal mistake. It is very common for people 
to require their hearts to do the work that the head 
alone can do. The Bible says : "He that trusteth to 
his own heart is a fool." The young are very apt to 
make this mistake. The heart is the earliest part of the 
soul to develop. A child is all heart and very little 
head. It can love, but can not think or reason much. 
All bad habits are the result of trusting to the heart and 
not to the head. No pernicious habit results from cool, 
deliberate choice. 

This mistake is not usually made in methods current 
in the business world. A man pays his note when due, 
even if he may not feel like doing so. The clerk is on 
hand at six o'clock in the morning, even though he may 
not feel like it. It is the business of the heart to cling 
to that which the head decides upon. The heart is the 
grappling-hook that enables us to hold on with firmness. 
Head powers and heart powers must work together for 
good. To divorce these things is to invite ruin. 

V. The duality that exists in the dominant thought 
that has controlled the world is very interesting. 

I. The thought that in the main has controlled the 
world in the past is the idea of power. Power has been 



124 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

regarded as the end of being. This has been looked 
upon as the highest good. Everything else derived its 
value from this, or, rather, possessed value in proportion 
as it contributed to this end. At first it was mere 
physical power. At this shrine the world long wor- 
shiped. Feats of physical strength or prowess consti- 
tuted a passport to popular favor and homage. Then 
intellectual power came to be the chief thing in the 
world's estimation. Long have we worshiped at that 
shrine. Wealth has also been sought by many, but it is 
the power that wealth gives that has made it to be 
coveted. 

2. We are now entering upon a new era. A new idea 
is about to dominate the world. The reign of power is 
soon to cease and another king is soon to ascend the 
throne. When he who thought as never man thought, 
and spake as never man spake, was asked, ''What is the 
great commandment?" he answered: ''Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God with all thy might and mind and 
strength ; and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself." He also said, "He that would 
be greatest among you, let him be your minister," which 
is but another way of saying, "Love your neighbor as 
yourself." A new thought was here given to the world. 
Gradually it has extended its dominion until a new era 
is being ushered in, in which the dominant thought is 
love. 

Soon wisdom, wealth and power will all be subor- 
dinate to the divine principle of universal sympathy and 
philanthropy. Already the glory of the new day begins 
to be seen. Why is knowledge being carried down to 
the lowest levels and scattered beside all waters? Why 
are the shackles that have so long held woman enslaved 
being stricken off? Why are weakness and suffering no 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 125 

longer a reproach? Why has childhood become blessed 
and old age sacred? Why do the pestilence and famine 
in far-away Asia or benighted Africa thrill the heart of 
our common humanity with divine pity, and cause un- 
selfish charity to flow in copious streams for the blessing 
of the unfortunate? It is because the evangel of love 
has gone forth and touched the stony hearts of men and 
made them tender. Soon the reign of peace foreshad- 
owed in the song sung by angels over Bethlehem's 
manger will be ushered in in all its effulgence and 
heavenly serenity. Oppression and wrong will flee like 
the shadows of night before the approaching dawn. The 
lion and the lamb will soon lie down together, and a 
redeemed humanity rejoice in the conscious realization 
of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. 
I congratulate you, my dear young people, over two 
important facts : You have been educated in a school that 
has from its very inception, nearly half a century ago, 
recognized the dual unity of man. Its doors have been 
open to male and female alike. The peculiar character- 
istics of each sex have found their supplement in the 
divinely ordained characteristics of the opposite sex. 
Here the intellectual and moral qualities of the man have 
found their counterpart in the corresponding qualities of 
the woman. The utilitarianism of man has been modi- 
fied by the sesthetical nature of woman ; the impatience 
of man by the constancy of woman ; the distrust of man 
by the confidence of woman ; the logic of man by the 
intuition of woman ; the worldliness of man by the re- 
ligious fervor of woman ; the policy of man by the prin- 
ciple of woman ; the coarseness of man by the refine- 
ment of woman. It has indeed been a goodly fellowship, 
and you will all be stronger and better throughout life 
for participation in an educational process in harmony 



126 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

with the divine order and plan. But do not imagine the 
man has all the advantage. It is my conviction that the 
woman receives her full share of blessing; nay, rather, 
I opine she has the best of the bargain. 

My second ground for congratulation lies in the fact 
that you go forth to your tasks in the best age and under 
the best conditions the world has ever seen — the age in 
which divine love is rapidly supplanting human selfish- 
ness, which has cursed the race from the beginning. 
You are to take part in the activities of the time fore- 
seen by Jewish bards and prophets long centuries agone, 
"when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together,'^ 
and nothing shall hurt "in all God's holy mountain. '^ 
You go forth to take part in the Master's service when 
his principles are better understood and more generally 
acted upon than at any time in all the Christian centuries. 
Yours is indeed a wonderful inheritance, and Grod will 
require of you a wonderful service. 



SERMON XII. 

The Children of God, or Fruitful Men 

Texts. — i John 3:2: "Beloved, now are we children of God, 
and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know 
that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him ; for we 
shall see him even as he is." 

John 15:8: "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much 
fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples." 

Luke 13 : 6-9 : "He spake also this parable ; A certain man 
had a fig tree planted in his vineyard ; and he came and sought 
fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser 
of his vineyard. Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit 
on this fig tree, and find none : cut it down ; why cumbereth it 
the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone 
this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it : and if it 
bear fruit, well : and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it 
down." 

Matt. 21 : 18, 19 : "Now in the morning as he returned into 
the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, 
he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and 
said unto it. Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. 
And presently the fig tree withered away." 

I. To exaggerate the dignity and worth with which 
the Bible invests man is impossible. It represents man 
as the very climax of divine achievement. Before man 
was created, God was preparing a place worthy of the 
great being he had in mind. For man he spread out the 
broad, fruitful earth with its majestic mountains, fertile 
valleys and broad plains. For man he poured out the 
mighty rivers and the thousand babbling brooks and 
gurgling fountains ; for man he created the majestic 
oceans and filled them with teeming life ; for man he 

127 



128 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

spread overhead the blue-arched canopy of heaven and 
studded it with its myriad hosts of shining stars ; for 
man he called into service the angelic hosts and made 
them ministering spirits ; for man he clothed himself 
in flesh that the true vision of God might become pos- 
sible. Still not content with providing a beautiful dwell- 
ing-place for man while he should remain on earth, he 
has prepared a home for the soul in which it shall 
eternally dwell. 

2. This first passage is beautifully harmonious with 
the whole divine movement with respect to man. **Be- 
loved, now are we the children of God." There is no 
discord in the music. This language is worthy of the 
Book. It may, however, be remarked that this phrase,, 
''child of God," or "children of God," may be used in 
two senses. All men are children of God by creation. 
God never denies his offspring. He acknowledges the 
authorship of even the meanest and vilest specimen of 
our race. What sculptor would claim authorship of 
every rude image? What painter would willingly accept 
authorship of every unsightly picture? Yet God does 
this. He says. All are my children — the proudest philos- 
opher and the meanest savage. All come from heaven.* 
There is, however, another family in which God es- 
pecially delights. These are God's children by adoption; 
they are his by a higher, diviner right. They are his 
because they are, in some measure at least, showing 
forth the divine attributes. 

3. This second passage not only shows the dignity 
God places upon man, but it reveals man's real business 
and purpose. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye 
bear much fruit." It should be the purpose of every one 



♦Parker's "People's Bible," volume on Genesis, pp. Ill, 1 12. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 129 

to glorify God, and this is done by accomplishing in the 
fullest way the real end of life ; in other words, by do- 
ing what God intended the individual to do. God 
did not make man for his own amusement, but for a 
noble purpose, and to accomplish this is to glorify 
God. An author is never glorified by a work of small 
moment. 

4. The realization of man's origin has a practical 
bearing on the accomplishment of the divine purpose in 
life. A man's origin has much to do with his feelings ; 
not, however, by creating a feeling of haughty pride or 
self-importance. I have known a few foolish ones to be 
thus ruined. I have seen some who try to go through 
the world on their father's credit, but such persons are 
a reproach to our common humanity. It is, however, 
true that a man who feels that he has a noble, honorable 
name to maintain will feel greater responsibility. Here 
the argument lifts itself to the highest point. ''Sons 
of God" — noble parentage, royal, celestial origin. This 
thought not only places man under greatest obligations, 
but it appeals to his ambition and pride of birth. ''Sons 
of God." Shall I fail to honor and glorify my di- 
vine Father who has never been ashamed to own me? 
Jesus very beautifully and concisely sums up our ob- 
ligation in this language : "Herein is my Father glori- 
fied, that ye bear much fruit." Then, let the theme of 
this discourse be "The fruitful man." I am led to 
speak of: 

I. The characteristics of the fruitful man. 

Man is frequently represented in the Bible under the 
figure of a tree. In Ps. i : 3 the godly man is likened to 
a tree planted by the rivers of water. In Isa. 61 : 3 the 
redeemed are prophetically called "trees of righteousness, 
the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified." 



130 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

David prayed that our sons might be as plants (trees) 
grown up in their youth. In Matt. 3 : lo Christ says: 
"Every tree that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it 
may bring forth more fruit." From this figure it is 
very easy to learn the characteristics of the fruitful 
man. That which impresses us first, and perhaps most 
strongly, is : 

I. The quality of usefulness. A tree is first of all 
a very useful thing. If it be a fruit-bearing tree, it is a 
continual blessing. It feeds the hunger of men, and 
that which feeds men is a very useful thing. This world 
is a very hungry world, and he who can feed it is the 
w^orld's benefactor. This is true as respects physical 
bread. Any invention that m.akes the process of bread- 
getting easier is a great blessing. It is, however, sad 
to know that many of the inventions that ought to insure 
to the benefit of earth's hungry millions, have been con- 
trolled for private gain. This is the continual tendency 
in this selfish world. Improved machinery ought to con- 
tribute to the advantage of the multitudes rather than to 
the enrichment of the few, so also improved facilities for 
transportation ought to make for the blessing of the 
many rather than for private gain. This is true in the 
higher domain. He who feeds the intellectual and spirit- 
ual hunger of men is a true servant of men. There is a 
great world's hunger that must be provided for. Great 
soul questions must be answered and heart yearnings sat- 
isfied. 

As fruitful trees, remember, young people, that it is 
your first duty to feed men, and do not fail to begin on 
the physical plane. As long as men are being robbed of 
the physical bread, it is your duty first of all to try to 
redress the wrongs under which they suflfer. The gospel 
of physical bread is of primary importance. From this 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 131 

you may mount upward to the higher planes, but be 
sure that the gospel you preach totiches the earth in one 
direction and reaches heaven in the other. Jesus Christ 
in his own nature affords an illustration of what is meant. 
He was divine, but also human. He was divinely human 
and humanly divine. He was Son of God and Son of 
man. Son of God because Son of man, and Son of man 
because Son of God. His work affords illustration of the 
same truth. He fed the physical hunger and attended 
to men's physical wants first of all; then He spake to 
man as never man had spoken before. He satisfied the 
higher intellectual and spiritual hunger as it had never 
been satisfied before, but He began on the physical plane. 
Here all true reforms must begin. Those who show 
themselves incompetent to satisfy the physical wants of 
men can not be trusted to meet the higher wants of the 
soul. 

2. The next noticeable quality in the fruitful tree is 
that of strength. How strong a thing is a tree! It en- 
dures summer heat and winter cold, and is made stronger 
by the opposite experiences through which it passes. 
The storms beat upon it, but it yields not; on the con- 
trary, it only sinks its roots deeper and becomes firmer 
as it struggles against the opposing force. How sug- 
gestive this is of the true man. He is unmoved amidst 
the storms of adversity. He turns all things to highest 
account. He has strength of fiber. He has root within 
himself and stands firtu while men of inferior mold are 
swept away. The world never needed men of strength 
more than now. 

3. The third characteristic is that of beauty. Trees 
are among the most beautiful objects of nature. In some 
are seen grandeur and majesty. The same is true of 
men. Washington, Webster, Garrison, Lincoln, are no- 



132 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

table examples in the political domain. In the field 
of letters we have Whittier, Longfellow, Holland, and 
others of no less fame who manifest not so much 
grandeur as symmetry and grace. In all, beauty in some 
form is displayed. This is typical of a true man. A 
beautiful life is a thing to be coveted and a thing pleasing 
unto God. 

II. The development of the fruitful man is a matter 
of much practical importance. 

1. The negative side may well be first considered. 
Education can never become a creator of faculties or 
powers. It can only unfold. The possibilities realized 
are native to the individual to begin with. The lapidary 
polishes the stone, causes its beauty to appear, but he 
does not create. He only develops a latent beauty. This 
explains the difference seen in educated men — all are 
not alike. In all there is seen great unfolding, but the 
goal reached is never the same, because the inherent pos- 
sibilities are not the same. Under the forces of educa- 
tion each individual reaches his own goal, which is de- 
termined by his own native powers. 

Education is not a savior. I use the term ''education" 
in its limited sense when I make this assertion. I refer 
largely to the intellectual aspect. Men are not saved 
by having their intellectual powers unfolded. A man 
may be a giant in intellect and grovel in the dust. This, 
to me, was always a sad sight. No one is made morally 
better by having his intellectual faculties developed. It 
is not uncommon to find high intellectuality and low 
moral perceptions associated in the same person. 

2. The positive side can now be better understood. 
First, it is a pruning process. A necessary process in the 
education of a tree is the pruning process. Superfluous 
branches must be lopped off in order to the better devel- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 133 

opment of useful branches. The same is true in the 
education of a man. Bad habits of body and mind 
must be cut away. This is one of the most difficult 
processes in education, and one not always faithfully 
executed. Bad habits often survive the educational proc- 
ess. Second, it is a disciplinary process. Every part 
of the man, both physical and intellectual, must be taught 
obedience. Until this is secured, the individual can not 
be said to be truly educated. Third, it is a fertilizing 
process. The mind should be enriched so as to produce 
a larger and more vigorous growth. It should be invig- 
orated and strengthened, and this will be the result of a 
true educational process. Fourth, it is a waking- up proc- 
ess. It is like the influence of the vernal sun — it wakes 
up the dormant seeds slumbering in the earth. So of a 
rational system of education. It warms and stimulates 
into growth the dormant powers of the soul. Fifth, it is 
a broadening process. It enlarges the sympathies. An 
education that does not do this is unworthy of the 
name. True education brings the individual into touch 
with the great, needy world. Sixth, it is a deepening 
process. The truly educated man is never shallow. He 
never takes surface views of things. This results from 
the very processes through which he has passed. He 
has been taught to examine into causes, to search for 
ultimate truths. It has a tendency to destroy frivolous- 
ness and to give seriousness and depth. 

III. The work of the fruitful man comes next in 
logical order. 

I. It is a work of sympathy. This world is full of 
suffering. Jesus, who always took the profound view of 
things, wept when he looked upon men. When he saw 
the multitude he was moved with compassion. Burns 
said: 



134 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

"I've seen you, weary, wintry sun, 
Twice forty times return, 
And every time has added proof 
That man was made to mourn." 

There are physical maladies to be alleviated ; there is 
scarcely one who has perfect health. Here is ample field 
for the educated physician. There are great sorrows 
that overwhelm the hearts of men. There is soul anguish 
which calls for the offices of the true sympathizer which 
should be the truly educated man. There are great moral 
and spiritual maladies which call for the efforts of the 
most enlightened moral and spiritual guides. There are 
injustice and wrong of the most glaring character. No 
unsympathetic man can do a really great work. The 
truly educated man is a man of sympathy and com- 
passion. 

2. It is a work of destruction. The Scriptures repre- 
sent life under the figure of a warfare. The sacred 
writer speaks of the "sword" and "shield" and "helmet ;"' 
of "fighting the good fight." What does it all mean? 
Can any one doubt who looks into his own soul, or into 
the world as he sees it? Are there any enemies within 
and without? All this means battle and conflict, and 
brave men are needed as never before. 

3. It is a work of construction. No work of de- 
struction will ever save the world. There must be posi- 
tive work. There must be building done. Young people,, 
there is no room in this world for a lazy person. 

IV. The doom of the fruitless man should not be 
overlooked, and the reward of fruitfulness should be 
kept in view. 

I. No view is ever complete that has never taken into 
account the opposite side of any question that may be at 
issue. You can never fully appreciate a home till you 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 135 

have considered a homeless man. You can not fully 
appreciate health till you have seen a man with the 
hand of disease upon him. So, you can not under- 
stand the value of education till you have seen the 
community without education. The dark background 
shows ofT the picture in a stronger light. But not 
only must the opposite sides be considered, but the 
necessary and logical end in either case must be kept 
in view. The rewards of fruitfulness inspire and the 
doom of fruitlessness restrains. To understand this 
question fully, therefore, we must see the doom of the 
fruitless tree. Cut it down. Wither it. Is not this 
cruel? By no means. It is but a matter of justice. 
"Why doth it cumber the ground?" If it bear fruit, 
well, but, if not, then cut it down. God has written this 
law in the eternal constitution of things. I destroy my 
body or mind by lack of fruitfulness. I may have a 
strong arm, but if it does not yield the fruit of service, it 
is withered. This withering (casting into the fire) is 
very suggestive. It suggests pain and suffering. Is this 
to be expected? Who can doubt it? Oh, the pain of 
realizing that opportunities are lost ! The student comes 
to the end of his school days with no fruit. What re- 
morse is his ! To me there is nothing sadder than the 
refrain of the weeping prophet as he looked upon the 
doom of his fruitless nation: "The harvest is past, the 
summer is ended, and we are not saved." To me there 
are no words half so sad as the words "a wasted life." 

2. The rewards of a fruitful life must not be left out 
of the account. Ever-increasing usefulness is a matter 
of highest profit. "Every tree that beareth fruit he 
purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit." You 
can not exhaust the fruit-bearing power by healthy ac- 
tivity. Excess may kill, but healthy use, never ! A good 



136 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

day's work to-day is a guarantee of a better day's work 
to-morrow. Good work while in college is a guarantee 
of better work when you leave college. I always watch 
eagerly the first year of the man who leaves college. A 
good year as a rule means successful life. Continuous 
development is also held out as a reward for fruit-bear- 
ing. "It does not yet appear what we shall be." What 
is one of the greatest possible joys of life? Is it not 
consciousness of larger possible development as the days 
and years go by ? Suppose you were to feel that now 
the summit has been reached. From henceforth you are 
to descend to continually lower levels. Would it not be 
a bitter thought? On the contrary, to feel that it is pos- 
sible to stand on higher ground each day, what greater 
joy? Achievements may be ground for rejoicing, but 
the greater achievements possible thrill the soul with 
joyful expectation. It is a joy for one to feel that he 
has done his best, but if there goes with it the feeling 
that he never can do so well again, the joy is tinged with 
unspeakable sadness. If, however, there is a conscious- 
ness of reserve force that promises greater things, the 
joy is intensified beyond expression. 

There is a sad side about old age. When we see the 
tottering step, the trembling hand, the dim eye, the 
wrinkled cheek and bowed form, we are saddened by 
the sight, and only one thing can take away our sorrow, 
and that is the vision seen by the eye of faith. We 
look beyond these dreary, dusty, storm-swept plains of 
time and behold these tired, tottering pilgrims rejuve- 
nated, clothed in perpetual youth. Then we are ready 
to join with the apostle in declaring exultingly: *Tt doth 
not yet appear what we shall be." 

The conditions of continuous development must never 
be lost sight of. First of all comes patience. Do not be 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 137 

in too big a hurry to reach the top. Take time ; all 
things come to him who can wait. But be sure you know 
how to wait. While waiting, do not fail to take hold of 
the thing at hand and do it well. Next comes proper 
nourishment. Eat wholesome food. You can not live, 
much less grow, on froth or on delicacies that should 
only come after the real meal, if at all. Eat something 
substantial. Live in good company. Associate with 
thinking people. Next, I would urge intellectual inde- 
pendence. Dare to think. He who allows somebody else 
to do his thinking will never grow. To such a man this 
text would not apply. It doth appear just what the man 
who does not think will be. He will never be larger than 
he is now. I must correct myself. 'Tt doth not yet ap- 
pear" what the sluggish soul who takes his thoughts 
ready made will be. In that shrinking, shriveling proc- 
ess, the soul will become so small that no microscope 
ever invented can discover it. Never consent to remain 
an hour in a position when you are expected to take your 
thoughts ready made, when your opinion must be what 
some other man thinks is right, regardless of any mental 
process of your own. I would rather be wrong and be 
independent than to be a slavish sycophant of even a 
man of right thought. If I am right, I do not want it 
to be because some great man has thought the right thing 
and I have accepted his views without an independent 
thought. If I am wrong, I do not want it to be because 
some bad or mistaken man has thought wrong and I have 
allowed him to do my thinking for me. Live in a cabin, 
if necessary, and be a man rather than live in a mansion 
and be a mere thing. 

My next advice is, be liberal. Pour out abundantly 
all God has given you. To withhold is to lose. Count 
all things but loss. Do not try to see how much you can 



138 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

save, but how much you can give. This applies to every- 
thing: money, time, sympathy, love, helpfulness in every 
form. Be generous, large-souled, noble. This does not 
mean that you must be careless of obligations. By no 
means. Be honest. Pay your debts. Never give away 
what is not yours. If you are generous, let it be with 
your own things, but always remember that the miser is 
contemptible. He is a miser; that is, he is miserable 
both in his own life and in the eyes of all noble souls. 

The second reward is exultant hope and triumphant 
expectation. Never lose sight of the crown. The man 
who despises the crown will probably never deserve a 
crown. Paul said: *T look not at the things which are 
seen, but at the things that are not seen." He had a 
ciown in his mind's eye. When the end came, exultantly 
he shouts : "I am now ready to be offered up, and the 
time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: 
henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of right- 
eousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give 
me." Of Jesus himself it was said: *'Who for the joy 
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the 
shame, and has now sat down at the right hand of the 
throne of God." Do not despise the crown, but take the 
cross, and in the radiance poured around it by the glory 
of the crown find the peace that passes all understanding. 

Dear young people, for you the work of your college 
is nearly done. A few more hours you will linger here 
and then will come the closing scene. You will stand 
before us to perform your last duty as an undergraduate 
student, and then you will hear the word and receive 
the credentials that shall stamp you as graduates, and 
you will go out into the world to do the part that God 
shall give you. My closing words shall be those of the 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 139 

great apostle : "Beloved, now are ye the children of 
God." Be worthy sons and daughters. Honor your 
God, your parents, your friends, your teachers and your 
college. Make the world brighter and better. Scatter 
the perfume of a noble life about you. One said to 
our Saviour on a certain occasion : "Master, thou art a 
teacher come from God." Compel men to say the same 
of you. In whatever capacity you may serve, whether 
as lawyers, doctors, teachers, preachers, business men, 
compel men to say : This man came from God. 

A few short years ago you stood at the opening of 
your college course. How long the time seemed. How 
quickly it has passed. Now you have come to the goal 
so eagerly and ardently sought. A few short hours and 
you will be borne away from each other and from us on 
rapid wheels, never to meet again in unbroken numbers. 
Shall it be so ? Must this be the last word I shall utter ? 
Nay, rather let us all stand here to-day and pledge each 
other to meet around that great white throne, "where 
the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at 
rest." Where there is "no night, neither sorrow nor 
crying, for the former things are passed away." Let us 
pledge ourselves to meet in the presence of Him, where 
there is "fulness of joy," and at his right hand, where 
"there are pleasures for evermore." 

Beloved children, now a part of our great college 
family, our youngest brothers and sisters, yea, our chil- 
dren, good-by. 



SERMON XIII. 

Man's Mission in the World 

Texts. — John 16:13: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, 
is come, he shall guide you into all the truth." 

John 17 : 19 : "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that 
they themselves also may be sanctified in truth," 

A great agnostic once said : ''I am on a boat sailing 
o'er life's ocean. I don't know who the captain or pilot 
is, or where the vessel sailed from, or where it will land, 
or whether it will ever land at all, but if it does land I 
will go ashore and be as good an angel as any one." If, 
my dear young people, I had no higher view of life to 
hold up before you than is presented in this specimen of 
agnostic philosophy, I would shrink from the task that 
is imposed upon me this day. Such a view of human 
condition and destiny o'ercasts the sky of life with dark, 
foreboding clouds, unpenetrated by a single cheering 
gleam of light, while in its western horizon the mut- 
terings of a coming tempest fill the soul with dread 
alarm at the prospect of being swallowed up in the re- 
lentless surges of life's stormy ocean. In most direct 
and emphatic contradiction to this agnostic doctrine I 
would say. We are not out on an unexplored ocean, 
drifting without captain or pilot, chart or compass, the 
mere sport of wind and wave. We are not mere for- 
tuitous atoms in an unknown and unknowable universe, 
unrelated and purposeless, originating no one knows 
where and tending no one knows whither. We are 
rational, intelligent creatures, with definite powers in our 
possessions and boundless possibilities within our reach. 

140 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 141 

We are on a voyage that has proceeded from a definite 
harbor and has a fixed destination. We have on board 
a Pilot who is acquainted with the ocean ; who knows the 
shoals and quicksands ; whose strong arm can steer the 
vessel safely amidst the billows and breakers into the 
peaceful port where those who have preceded us await 
our coming in loving expectancy. To say we came from 
nowhere and have no destination insults our intelligence, 
disappoints our deepest yearnings, and gives the lie to 
the universal instincts of the human soul. To say this is 
to close our ears to all the voices of wisdom and hope 
that have come to us, and all their utterances attest the 
fact that they are superhuman voices. Shall I look upon 
the clock that hangs upon the wall and say we can not 
know that it came from even an intelligent source ? Shall 
I contemplate its complicated mechanism, and see it mark 
the hours and minutes of the passing day, and say it has 
no discoverable purpose? Shall I look upon this compli- 
cated and wonderful structure that I call my body, and 
say it is a mere fortuitous concurrence of atoms? Shall I 
reflect upon the thoughts and purposes, emotions and feel- 
ings, aspirations and hopes, and all the wondrous powers 
of mind and heart with which I am endowed, and say 
they have no known design, but are merely manifesta- 
tions of my material organism? Shall I say my eyes 
can see, but were not made to see ; my ears can hear,^ 
but were not made to hear ; my tongue can speak, but was 
not made to speak ; my hands can do, but were not made 
to do? From such a gloomy view of life I would have 
you turn away to something brighter, more sunny, more 
ennobling, more invigorating. I would have you look 
upon life as it is portrayed in the great panorama 
which God unrolls before our vision, culminating in that 
wondrous picture of the life of Him who came from 



.142 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

heaven to earth and clothed himself in human flesh, 
showing "how great and grand and good a thing a man 
may be." I would have you gaze on this until the mean- 
ing, significance and earnestness of life bursts upon you, 
and your souls catch fire with a holy enthusiasm to be 
and do whatever God has made it possible for man to be 
and do. No, let us have done once for all with this man- 
dishonoring doctrine of agnosticism, which is the assassin 
of high and holy aspiration, the destroyer of all earnest 
and righteous endeavor and the extinguisher of hope, 
and let us cling with an unwavering faith to the soul- 
thrilling doctrine that man is the product of an infinite 
intelligence, the child of a King, the creature of God, 
with a mission divine and a destiny immortal. With a 
faith less than this we will be unable to achieve the won- 
derful possibilities that are otherwise attainable, or to 
accomplish the high destiny for which we were created. 

Assuming, then, without further argument that which 
reason, outward circumstance and inner consciousness 
attest — viz. : that man has a definite and honorable work 
to do — let us address ourselves to this practical question : 
*'What are the conditions upon which man may accom- 
plish his true mission in the world?" Permit me, then, 
to say that: 

I. The first necessary step in the accomplishment 
of man's mission consists in rightly understanding and 
properly appreciating the true functions of being and 
the great possibilities of life. 

I. Why am I in the world is a most important ques- 
tion, yet one that some never face, much less answer. 
At any time this question has great significance, but 
especially when young people are about to face the grave 
responsibilities of life this question comes with tre- 
mendous power. From this question of *'Why" man 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 143 

should never turn away. To answer it correctly is a con- 
dition of success in every worthy undertaking. To neg- 
lect it is to invite failure. The student should meet it 
and answer it in order to make the most out of his 
student life. The man elected to office should face the 
question of why, or he will never serve his constituency 
well. The professional man, the business man, should 
ever keep this question before him to insure highest 
achievements. To fail to answer this question means 
failure in life in whatever sphere a man may move, yet, 
sad to say, many never ask themselves this question, 
much less seek an answer. Such people are mere drifters 
on life's ocean. They have no fixed destination to which 
they are going. 

2. Many sad mistakes grow out of a failure to answer 
this question. This causes many to mistake means for 
ends. Why is that man in the world? His actions say 
to amass riches. Poor soul, he has mistaken means for 
ends. Wealth ought never to be sought as an end. At 
best it is only a means to the true end of life. Why is 
that man here? To get knowledge or power or social 
position, his actions say. Awful mistake ; these things 
are merely means to the true end and are good 
only when so used. This same failure has led others to 
magnify the conditions of living and working into ends 
of being. Eating is an incident of living, but it is a great 
mistake to make it the end of being. Drinking is a 
means of living and not the end of being. Rest is a 
necessary condition of healthy development, but when 
it is made the end of being, the individual ceases to be a 
true man. A certain amount of dress is a necessary con- 
dition of successful living and working, yet when it be- 
comes the end of life the individual becomes contempt- 
ible. Man eats and drinks, buys and sells, acquires 



144 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

wealth, knowledge and power, and yet the true man 
feels that these are not ends, but means to ends. Reason, 
conscience, aspiration, assure us we have a nobler, di- 
viner end than this. 

3. The 'strongest argument for the high mission of 
man takes its rise in the very nature of man. It is an 
axiom of philosophy that God makes his fundamental 
revelation in the constitution of the human soul. Where 
do we find God's first revelation? In external nature? 
No. In the Bible? No. Rather in the soul of man so 
constituted as to desire God and able to know him. 
Where do we get our first notion of religion? In some 
external system revealed to us? No. Must it not be in 
our mental and moral constitution to which the external 
system comes as an answer? Where do we find the first 
evidence of an external world? In outward nature ? No. 
Surely the answer must be in my eye which was made 
to see, my ear to hear, and which were mute witnesses 
of objective nature before its sights and sounds were 
consciously seen or heard. So, too, God has made the 
first revelation of the greatness of man's mission in the 
nature of his soul. I come to you and say, ''Life is 
earnest." The response your heart gives is proof that 
this is true. I say, "Man has a great mission to accom- 
plish." The deep yearnings, the unattained possibilities 
consciously possessed are the proofs man's nature fur- 
nishes that this is true. There are elements in man's 
soul that make great and grand living the natural thing 
for man. Has the greatness of life and living dawned 
upon you? Has the earnestness and intense reality of 
life become a deep conviction? Has the fact come to 
you in all its force that to be a man is to be almost a 
god? If so, then the first step in the accomplishment of 
your mission has been taken. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 145 

II. The second step in the accomplishment of man's 
mission consists in the receiving of truth of every kind 
as the richest legacy of heaven and the direct gift of 
God. 

I. Truth to bless to the fullest extent must be re- 
ceived from the hand of God. If truth is mine by right 
of discovery or application, or if I receive it as the gift 
of my professor, it will never bless me to the fullest ex- 
tent. The idea of stewardship is necessary to the highest 
usefulness, but this is the logical sequence of the idea 
of Gk)d's proprietorship. Your own efforts are neces- 
sary conditions of the reception of truth, but give you no 
absolute title ; the same is true here as in material things. 
Your college, your teachers, are God's agents to bring to 
you the priceless possession of truth, but you must ap- 
propriate the gift and remember that back of all lies 
God, the real Giver. This is distinctly a Christian idea. 
Christ recognizes God as the ultimate source. ''All 
things I have received of my Father." This is the idea 
that is finally to solve all social and industrial problems. 
The two ideas of man's greatness and man's humility are 
the conceptions necessary to revolutionize the world. 
Jesus said : "He that would be greatest let him be 
servant of all." This idea makes the possession of one 
the inheritance of all. We hold nothing for self. We 
are stewards holding in trust that which belongs to others. 
This explains all the rich fruitage of Christian civiliza- 
tion. The Christian idea is back of every philanthropic 
work. Popular education, popular government, free insti- 
tutions — all rest on mutual obligations, mutual responsi- 
bility and ultimately on the goodness of God. This idea 
holds good in every form of truth. How are you re- 
ceiving those rich measures of truth that are coming to 
you? I feel anxious on this point. You are gathering 



146 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

divine truth every day. History, philosophy, science, are 
God's gifts of truth, as well as the truths of the Book 
of books. To take it all as from God's hand will make 
you God's stewards ; to accept it in any other spirit would 
be simply to make it a lever of self -exaltation. Learn 
to accept your gifts from the hand of God. 

2. To receive truth in this way is to satisfy man's 
nature as a spiritual being. He who can not look 
through nature up to nature's God is to be pitied. To 
such a one there is jarring discord in the melody of 
nature, notes of harshness in life's harmony. Every- 
where is a deep, inexplicable mystery. He is the true 
student — in fact, the only real student — to whom every 
page in the great book of nature reveals the name of 
God. No one ever truly studies astronomy until to him 
''the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament 
showeth his handiwork." Man has an instinct for this 
knowledge of God. He has ever searched along this 
line. The desire is so strong that he will accept 
forgeries and lies that profess to answer the craving. 
Man has a capacity for such knowledge. It is possible 
for man to know God, at least within limits. His mind 
can take in such ideas. What dignity this confers on 
him : He can ''think God's thoughts" and thus vindicate 
his kinship to the infinite One. Man has a native neces- 
sity for such ideas. There are germs of power that can 
never be quickened without God. The seed without the 
Sim would never germinate. So man without God per- 
ishes in darkness and wretchedness. 

3. To receive the truth in this way is to meet man's 
want as a fallen being. Angels need God's teaching, 
how much more man. The deepest problems only God 
can solve. The profoundest questions God alone can 
answer. What shall I say of the dark, mysterious prob- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 147 

lem of death? One hundred generations give no answer. 
Nature has no answer. Ask the wind, ask the ocean, ask 
Mother Earth, ask the stars of heaven, yea, ask the soul 
of man, but no certain answer comes. God answers the 
inquiry in a way to quiet all fears. He alone speaks the 
word of positive assurance through Jesus Christ our 
Lx)rd. 

4. This way of receiving truth harmonizes with the 
mediation of Christ. Why did Christ come to earth? 
Why suffer thus ? The answer is : To bring man into 
fellowship with God ; to establish the broken connection ; 
to reunite the children to the Father ; to reconcile man to 
God. 

5. This is in harmony, too, with God's word. Man 
is called to audience. ''Hear, O Israel." ''Come, let us 
reason together." "Behold, I stand at the door and 
knock." "This people's heart is waxed gross and their 
ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, 
lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear 
wath their ears and understand with their heart." God 
is anxious to instruct us. This audience gives us pleas- 
ure. It is a pleasure for a hungry man to eat, for the 
thirsty to drink ; so, to receive truth as from God is the 
climax of pleasure. "In thy presence there is fulness of 
joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." 

III. The third step in the accomplishment of man's 
mission consists in a practical realization of the truth 
received from God. 

I. The mistake that leads to very much of failure 
in life is the mistake of divorcing theory and practice. 
Everything should be received with reference to some 
practical end. Truth is not an end, but a means to an 
end. As has been said. Money is not an end; power is 
not an end ; so, too, of truth. To receive truth as a per- 



148 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

sonal treasure, as an end in itself, is to make a great 
life impossible. 

2. There is vastly too much of mere sentiment in the 
world. Truth must become a part of the man. It must 
be incarnated and thus walk before men. The step that 
should follow the reception of truth from God's hand is 
the embodiment of that truth in holy life. It is to in- 
carnate the truth. Jesus said, 'T am the truth." How 
wonderful is this. We are accustomed to regard truth 
as the formulated statements of some scientific philos- 
ophy or theological dogma. That is the merely inci- 
dental form. The true form of truth is an incarnation. 
What Christ said of himself should be true of every one 
of you. In some measure you may say, 'T am the truth." 
It is this form of truth that silences opposition and con- 
vinces the gainsayers. Every one can give to truth some- 
thing of his own individuality. 

IV. The last step in the accomplishment of your 
mission consists in imparting to others the truth re- 
ceived from God. 

1. I argue this because distribution is a law of 
growth. Your treasure of truth will increase or diminish 
according as you try to give it or hoard it. The more 
liberal you are, the larger your stock will be. 

2. This appears, too, from the tendency of divine 
thoughts to express themselves. Follow your own in- 
clinations here. Truth struggles for utterance. If you 
can suppress truth, it is because you have never had it 
in any large measure. 

3. Then, too, truth is of universal adaptation. All 
need it. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
make you free." Ignorance is slavery. Truth is the 
universal blessing, the greatest treasure of men. 

4. This is shown by the spiritual dependence of man 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 149 

on man. It is the divine wisdom to make man spiritually 
dependent on man to some extent. This should invest 
us with the idea that each is important in some degree. 
Somebody needs us. This is true of all. Then, lest we 
become too vain, we are constantly reminded that we 
need somebody else. Then bear in mind this truth so 
beautifully expressed by Whittier : 

"Thine to work as well as pray, 
Clearing thorny wrongs away, 
Plucking up the weeds of sin, 
Letting heaven's warm sunshine in." 

To do this is to give the highest expression possible 
to truth. It is to bless yourselves most. But, to give, 
we must procure, and this means effort. 

God has put into your keeping a mighty power, as is 
beautifully expressed by Abram Coles: 

"The power to bind and to loose the truth is given ; 
The mouth that speaks it is the mouth of Heaven ; 
The power which in a sense belongs to none. 
Thus understood, belongs to every one. 
Truth owes its high prerogatives to none ; 
It shines for all as shines the blessed sun ; 
It shines in all who do not shut it out 
By dungeon doors of unbelief and doubt." 



SERMON XIV. 

The Value of Confidence 

Text. — Heb. 3 : 14 : "For we are made partakers with Christ, 
if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the 
end." 

1. The passage just read is capable of both general 
and special application. Special in the particular sense 
intended by the sacred writer, which doubtless referred 
to the Christian confidence, or confidence in Christ, in 
his salvation which we enjoy; general in that it points 
to a great comprehensive principle of universal applica- 
tion; namely, the importance of confidence as a factor 
in the general economy of life. 

2. It may be observed that confidence is the necessary 
outgrowth of faith. It is the assurance that comes from 
believing in a given thing. It can not come without faith, 
and where true faith exists, confidence must necessarily 
follow. To illustrate : Confidence in the beneficent trend 
of the universe, and its general upward sweep, rests on 
faith in God — in his wisdom, power and goodness. Con- 
fidence in a future life rests also on faith in God, or, 
more specifically, on faith in Christ. The soldier's con- 
fidence in victory rests upon his faith in his general, or 
faith in the principle for which he is contending, or on 
both. 

3. The principle here stated is not only one of wide 
application, but of supreme importance. It seems to be 
the great purpose of the Book of Hebrews to exalt the 
principle of faith. It presents the subject in both its 
positive and negative aspects. The rewards and achieve- 

150 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 151 

merits of faith are pointed out, as well as the disaster and 
failure of unbelief. Illustrations of both are given. 
Here is the mark of the wise and true teacher. In short, 
it may be positively declared that every man's future is, 
to a very great extent, shaped and determined by his con- 
fidence or lack of confidence. Great men have uni- 
versally been men of great confidence, which means that 
they have been men of faith. Faith in some of its appli- 
cations has been the determining factor in their lives. 
Faith has been the dynamic power that has overcome all 
difiiculties and triumphed over all opposition. A man 
without faith is like an engine without motive power. It 
may be perfect in its mechanism, beautiful to look upon, 
but it can accomplish nothing. 

4. These considerations suggest this as a most im- 
portant theme for a class of young men and women 
who have spent several years in preparation for the 
work of life upon which they are about to enter. They 
have been storing up in their minds useful knowledge ; 
they have been gaining control of their powers ; they 
have been forming true habits of thought and action. 
But, however important all this may be, it is of little 
value apart from this great possession referred to by 
the sacred writer under the name "confidence." With- 
out this you are merely engines without steam, or boats 
without propelling and directing force, and you will be 
mere drifters on life's ocean. You will go nowhere and 
get nowhere except to drop at last into the bottomless 
pit into which all the waste rubbish in the universe will 
finally fall ; but, having this, "great will be your recom- 
pense of reward." Life will be full of splendid achieve- 
ments ; you will scatter untold blessings along your path- 
way to the weary, waiting, expectant multitude. There 
will be a zest and earnestness in whatever you do that 

(6) 



152 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

will prove a never-ending delight and give you a peace 
that passeth understanding. You will have that which 
will save you from indifference and despondency, and 
make life truly real and earnest. My subject very 
naturally divides itself into two parts. We are led to 
consider : 

I. The most important applications of the doctrine. 
Let it be observed that you should have: 
I. Confidence in the vitality and conquering power 
of right principles. If you lack this, gain it. If you 
have it, keep it. Truth can not be killed. This points 
out clearly the sharp lines between right and wrong, 
virtue and vice. These two must necessarily be in con- 
flict. The good, the right, the virtuous has in its some- 
thing of the immortality and power of God. This also 
admonishes us to espouse the cause of right with perfect 
confidence as to the final outcome. Truth must even- 
tually prevail. The advocate of truth will finally conquer. 
There is a great fallacy in the sentiment, 'Tt matters not 
what a man believes, if he only does right." This as- 
sumes that a person may do right irrespective of faith. 
This is not true. Right action results from right faith. 
This fact shows the folly of being governed by policy, 
rather than by principle. The man of policy sells his 
birthright for a mess of pottage. He is under the 
tyranny of the present. For a small present he barters 
a great future, and even the cup of present pleasure is 
not without its bitter dregs. He who makes this sad 
mistake loses his own self-respect and earns the con- 
tempt of all right-minded people. His reward is the 
adulation of the vicious or the applause of fools. This 
fact shows us the folly of losing faith because the 
triumph of right is seemingly delayed. In the end, truth 
will prevail over all opposition. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 153 

2. Confidence in yourselves is also a requisite of 
power. The rewards that are offered are reserved for 
the brave. The timid, fearful, shrinking soul has no 
place among the world's true heroes. The apostolic in- 
junction is, "Add to your faith courage." God has made 
us so that we necessarily admire the brave man and we 
loathe the coward. Bravery is the child of confidence. 
There is no real work for the coward. There are mon- 
ster evils that are growing so arrogant and aggressive 
that national, and religious life are in peril. The saloon, 
Sunday desecration, the renting of property for immoral 
uses, the selfishness of men who spend extravagant sums 
on purely personal pleasures — to oppose all this requires 
bravery. To believe in self does not mean that a man 
must be a disgusting egotist, who can never see anything 
as large as himself. It means that the man has the heart 
to undertake great things, that he is not easily frightened, 
that he has courage to start in the right direction even 
though the end may not appear, that he is brave enough 
to take the unpopular side. This does not mean that a 
man shall have no consciousness of weakness. It means 
that a man shall know himself, and, as Horace says, 
''consider what his shoulders are able to bear and what 
they refuse to bear." It means also that a man shall not 
underestimate himself or belittle his own powers, but, on 
the contrary, having learned his own limitations, urge 
himself to the furthest limit : "Press toward the mark 
for the prize of the high calling." It means, as has been 
forcibly said, that a man shall "undertake great things 
for God, and expect great things from God." 

3. Confidence in man adds greatly to a man's effec- 
tiveness as a worker. Young people, be assured right 
now that this world is worse than you have ever dreamed 
it could be. There is injustice and wrong; there is 



154 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

cruelty and oppression; there is sad betrayal of confi- 
dence ; there is vice and corruption and hideous sin ; there 
is sham and veneer and pretense and falsehood; there is 
utter disregard of duty and sacred obligation; and all 
this among the people with whom your lot will be cast. 
You will not, you can not, escape it, for it is everywhere. 
Be also assured that men are better than you even think 
them to be. There is justice and right; there is kindness 
and sincerity and honesty and solidity; there is fidelity 
to duty and sacred obligation ; and all this is around you 
and even found oftentimes in very humble places and 
unpretentious surroundings. Therefore I say, believe 
in men. Even one noble soul shows that all are po- 
tentially so. All great souls have believed in men. Jesus, 
the greatest of all and the One who was never deceived, 
whose eyes could see behind every sham and false pre- 
tense, believed in men. If you do not believe in men, 
men will not believe in you, and when this comes to pass 
your power for good is greatly crippled. Do not fear 
to launch truth on the great ocean of humanity. As a 
great reformer said: *Tt will be sure to find a safe har- 
bor." All wicked things fear the people, which is a 
great compliment to the common honesty of mankind. 

4. Confidence in God is the supreme condition of 
power. This means that you multiply the finite by the 
infinite. Power is your great need, and the men of 
power have been men of God. This world needs stable 
men. This means that you can face a dark present in 
hope of a bright future. You will thus escape the tyran- 
ny of the present. This means that you will move under 
God's sheltering cloud by day and walk in the light of 
his pillar of fire by night. This means that you will 
never be alone, but ever have a conscious realization of 
the divine presence. There is nothing more blessed than 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 155 

companionship. This means that you can ever say with 
Paul, "I can do all things through him that strength- 
eneth me." This means that you cast all littleness out 
of life. Life is God-given and should be made worthy 
of its author. 

II. The rewards resulting from an application of 
the principle. 

1. First I. would name the satisfaction resulting from 
the carrying forward of a worthy work. It is worth 
something to have the consciousness of doing something 
worth doing. Never spend your time in little, trifling 
things. There is too much great work to be done. 
Never discuss little questions. Life is a serious business. 
Do not trifle with it, and remember that every great and 
noble thing carries in itself its own reward. Virtue and 
honest labor are in themselves things of great value. 

2. I mention next the delight experienced in the 
consciousness of ever-increasing power. *Tt doth not yet 
appear what we shall be." There is nothing more ex- 
hilarating than a sense of growth. David prayed that 
the young might be as trees grown up in their youth. 
This meant growth. If a man is simply an animal, how 
sad a thing is old age, since there is no longer time for 
growth. No true man can feel satisfied to work on a 
dead level, much less to descend the hill. The upward 
going is the only enjoyable journey. 

3. The joy resulting from the appreciation of noble 
souls is indeed something to be coveted. The censure of 
an honest man is better than the praise of a knave. Then, 
how much more is the value of his approval. Never 
value lightly the good opinion of the good. 

4. The satisfaction of having the divine approval is 
a reward of highest value. What peace must ever come 
to such a soul! How calm and serene must such a life 



156 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

ever be ! Better have hardship and poverty and the 
condemnation of all men and have God's approval, than 
to have the world and lose the divine favor. Covet 
God's approval, for, having this, you are rich indeed. 

5. As perhaps the chiefest item of all, I mention the 
hope of an unending- future of bliss. Young people, to- 
day you stand upon a mountain-top. You have gained 
a goal toward which you have been looking. The anx- 
iety of parents and hope of friends have been met. 
This is your mount of transfiguration. We ought to 
catch some glimpse of what you will be. To-morrow 
you go down again into the valley. There are toil and 
sacrifice and hard service awaiting you. It were a pity 
if this were not so. There are battles to be fought and 
victories to be won. There are sighs and tears and heart- 
aches. There lie before you the garden and trial and 
cross and tomb ; but, thank God, this is not the end. At 
last you will stand on another and higher mountain than 
the one on which you stand to-day. You will come to 
your Olivet. Behind you will be the valley, the garden 
and the tomb. Before you will lie the beautiful city. 
Angel escorts will come to accompany you on your up- 
ward journey. Out upon the glad air will ring the 
challenge, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them 
up, ye everlasting doors." For are you not kings? It 
were a shame for those who have been blest as you to 
be less than kings. To be a bondman, a slave, oh, what 
a disgrace! 

Year by year we have sent forth a band of young 
people into the battle, conflict and drudgery of life. 
They are scattered the wide world round. They are 
sometimes weary, discouraged, home-sick, almost de- 
spondent, but still they struggle on, and will so continue 
to do until God's messenger shall call them home. You 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 157 

^o out from us to swell their number, as dear to us as 
they were and are. You are taking your place in a 
noble company. Young people, prove yourselves worthy 
to stand in this honored place, which is a position only 
a king can fill. We want you to be kingly men and 
queenly women. We believe you will be. May you walk 
with God, and may he preserve you blameless unto the 
day of his coming, and at last may we all gather among 
the hosts of the conquerors after the war is over, and 
join our voices in one great paean of victory. This is my 
prayer. 



SERMON XV. 

The Highest Definition of Man 

Texts. — Rom. i : i : "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ." 
Rom. 6 : i6 : "Know ye not, that to whom ye present your- 
selves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye 
obey?" 

Mark 10:43, 44- "But whosoever would become great among^ 
you, shall be your minister; and whosoever would be first among 
you, shall be servant of all." 

I. The period of graduation from an institution of 
learning at the cornpletion of a strong course of study 
constitutes nothing less than an epoch in the life of the 
individual. It marks the beginning of a new life of 
activity of a higher and more efficient kind than would 
otherwise have been possible. If not, then the whole 
purpose of the college course has been defeated and the 
very justification for it taken away. Your life hence- 
forth must be nobler, truer, better, by virtue of the 
blessings you have enjoyed, or these advantages will 
condemn you in the minds of your fellow-men and be- 
come accusing witnesses against you at the judgment-bar 
of God. 

While this new life ought not to be and can not be 
divorced from the past, while in a large measure it 
must be and is the outgrowth of the past, yet here is 
the beginning of a new life of activities, determined 
largely by the past both as to character and efficiency. 
Were this not true, the influences of your home life, the 
social and religious surroundings in which you have 
moved and grown up, and the disciplinary influence of 

158 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 159 

the college course would be lost so far as practical re- 
sults are involved. This would be nothing short of a 
calamity to the individual and to the world at large. The 
Creator has provided against such an unfortunate con- 
tingency in the subtle connection between the mind and 
matter that takes place in that marvelous theater of 
activity called the human brain, where the most wonder- 
ful and mysterious processes are continually at work. 
Here the immaterial soul lays hold upon the material 
organism and uses it for the accomplishment of definite 
and determined ends. 

The purpose of an education is not only to put into 
the mind large, ennobling altruistic conceptions and prin- 
ciples, but, by proper disciplinary process, to so organize 
the brain centers that the highest telogical results shall 
he insured. It is, in short, to implant within true prin- 
ciples of action and to insure the fullest realization of 
these principles in the practical afifairs of life. Thus can 
the dignity and greatness of the individual man be real- 
ized, to the glory of his Creator and to the good of the 
creature. 

2. The significance and value of such an occasion as 
the present, in this view of the case, is immeasurably 
enhanced and can not be estimated too highly. If, in this 
marvelous instrument called the brain, centers are or- 
ganized that become the theaters of mental activity and 
constitute the field wherein the immaterial soul and the 
material body unite for the accomplishment of the prac- 
tical duties of life ; if here that union between mind and 
matter takes place which results in all the complicated 
activities that go to make up the outward life of man — 
then an occasion that may assist in the more definite for- 
mation of such centers, or in investing them with con- 
trolling potency, is of supreme value. That such centers 



160 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

may suddenly form, or at least become active, under the 
final culminating influence, is not only supported by high 
psychological authorities, but history furnishes numerous 
instances of such sudden transformation. Conspicuous 
among these is the example of one whose language fur- 
nishes the text for this occasion. From the time, on that 
Damascus journey, when Jesus of Nazareth appeared 
to him, he led a new and diametrically opposite course of 
life. From that epoch-making moment he was dom- 
inated by a new controlling impulse, presenting a most 
striking contrast to that motive which previously con- 
trolled his life. He was thenceforth a new man, a 
striking example of the truth of his own doctrine ex- 
pressed later in life: "If any man be in Christ Jesus, he 
is a new creature." 

I know of no way to utilize this occasion for higher 
and more efficient ends than to bring to your attention as 
forcibly as I may be able the great idea that became the 
molding, determining influence in the life of this wonder- 
ful man, who deservedly ranks as one of the greatest 
thinkers and noblest benefactors of our race. 

As I study the text, ''Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ," 
I am led to consider : 

I. The definition which Paul gives of himself^ 
w^hich he evidently uses as expressive of the inmost 
reality of his real, practical life. 

I. Clear definitions of terms are exceedingly im- 
portant to a correct understanding of any subject. Many 
of the disputes and misunderstandings of men arise out 
of inadequate or obscure definitions of terms. Often- 
times the whole ground of dispute would be brushed 
aside by a clear, concise definition that would truly set 
forth the mental conception of the one using it. Then^ 
too, a definition has a tendency to clarify and make 



BACCALAUREATE SERMOKS 161 

definite one's own conception of things. We always 
know a thing better after we have defined it in clear, 
unambiguous terms. It seems to stand out before the 
mind in bolder and more vivid outlines. The most im- 
portant definition one ever gets is that of self, and I 
may add, though with regret, that it is one of the rarest. 
Here we get at the reality of the personal problem. An 
adequate definition of self gives meaning to all definitions 
of life. To know the thing itself is better than to know 
something about the thing, and the latter is possible when 
the former is sometimes wanting. It is to be deplored 
that so few ever take pains to secure such a definition of 
self. Multitudes go through the world as utter strangers 
to their real selves as they are to the inhabitants of an- 
other planet. They have never stopped to inquire, much 
less to define, who or what they are. Furthermore, to 
get a definition of self is to get the largest definition that 
will ever enter into the individual's stock of knowledge. 
The truth of this statement holds, irrespective of any 
particular application. It is as true of the humblest, yea, 
of the most debased, specimen of humanity as it is of a 
Shakespeare or Newton. A thing is great by virtue of 
its possibilities. Its potential value is its true value. The 
life principle is as great in the mushroom as in the oak, 
in the mollusk as in the most complicated vertebrate. 
Electricity is as great when it rings a door-bell as when 
it runs a train of cars. As said above, the potential value 
is the real value. This invests every human being with 
a marvelous dignity and gives to him an inestimable 
worth. It should be remarked, however, that no single 
definition can ever fully define anything, much less 
the complex being called man. He is entirely too com- 
plicated a creature to have his essential essence de- 
clared in any single word or in any phrase or sentence. 



162 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

We may define him physically, intellectually, spiritually, 
functionally, and all definitions would be important, but 
of the many definitions possible one rises to the place of 
supreme importance and may in a sense be said to con- 
stitute his real definition. It shapes, or, rather, to a 
degree absorbs, all others and sets forth the individual 
in his true aspect in the sight of Gk)d and men. 
My meaning may become clearer as we consider : 
2, Some of the possible definitions of Paul. Let us 
say Paul a Jew, or an Israelite, or a Hebrew of the 
Hebrews, if you will. The first indicates nationality ; 
the second, his theocratic birthright, his covenant priv- 
ileges ; the third, his language. To leave the others out 
of view, even the first is no small or mean definition of a 
man. Nationality is a great and important fact. I love 
to see a man proud of his nationality. Such a feeling 
lies at the basis of all true patriotism, and the man in 
whom the patriotic spirit is dead is at most but a frac- 
tion of a man. He is never loved on that account. 

"Lives there a man with soul so dead 
Who never to himself hath said, 
'This is my own, my native land'?" 

A man of any nationality may find reason for pride 
in the history and nobler characteristics of his people. 
Bismarck, a German ; Napoleon, a Frenchman ; Glad- 
stone, an Englishman ; George Washington, an American. 
These great names are not disgraced by the national 
designation. Any one may have just cause for pride 
in his nationality. There is enough that is honorable in 
any nationality to cover any of its subjects all over with 
glory. 

But the term expressing nationality does not give 
us the highest definition of the man. Paul an Israelite 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 163 

may express even a higher conception, for in this term 
the national theocratic privileges leap into view. We 
see the nation receiving its marvelous code of laws en- 
graven by the hand of God ; we see the complicated and 
beautiful forms of worship formulated in heaven and 
delivered to the people. We see its long line of illus- 
trious prophets delivering the messages of Jehovah to 
their chosen nation, but even this illustrious title does 
not constitute the essential definition of this wonderful 
man. 

Let us say Paul a scholar. This truth is witnessed 
not only by the fact that he enjoyed the highest educa- 
tional advantages of his day, but by the evidence fur- 
nished in his wonderful speeches and matchless letters, 
giving proof of a gigantic mind, trained and well 
equipped, and thus able to grapple in a masterful way 
with the most difficult problems. This is something that 
may not be despised. Scholarship is a great factor in the 
life of the race. The world owes much to its scholars. 
It is a significant fact that the leaders in all moral and 
religious reforms have been men of large scholarly at- 
tainments. The man who would seek to cast contempt 
upon scholarship simply betrays his own ignorance and 
reveals his own sad need of the thing he professes to 
despise. But, great as is the fact of scholarship, it does 
not afford the highest definition of the individual. After 
all is said, it is an accident that does not constitute the 
vital essence of the soul. 

Let us say Paul the orator. Are we not reaching a 
splendid climax here? What greater thing than to move 
the souls of men by golden-tongued speech, to fire the 
hearts by words of burning eloquence? What avails 
scholarship without words, and how the beauty and 
power of truth are affected for good or ill by its verbal 



164 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

dress. How the harp of the soul vibrates to the tones 
and well-rounded phrases of the orator. How by speech 
the passions of men are stirred into fury as the bosom of 
the deep is lashed into tumultuous billows by the wind 
or are soothed into calm as by the very breath of Grod. 
As I hiave listened to a great speech wherein the speaker 
powerfully stirred the hearts of his hearers, I have 
heard men say, "I would give all I possess to be able to 
speak like that man." The orator is invariably a man 
of influence and power. The provision for the verbal 
proclamation of the gospel was not an accident occasioned 
by the peculiarities of the people of a particular age. 
The method is suited to every age. In my mind's eye 
I see Paul standing before King Agrippa and, with con- 
vincing eloquence, so moving the king as to lead him to 
exclaim : "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian," 
and Festus to exclaim : ''Paul, thou art beside thyself. 
Much learning hath made thee mad." I see him in the 
presence of Felix, and with burning words speaking of 
righteousness, temperance and judgment to come, and 
that, too, with such convincing, mighty power as to cause 
the guilty ruler to tremble and turn pale. I see him in 
far-famed Athens, the center of the education and culture 
of the world. Standing in the midst of Mars' Hill, he 
delivered a speech of masterful sweep and soulful elo- 
quence, such as proud Athens never heard fall from 
the lips of a Demosthenes or a Pericles. When I, in 
imagination, see this mighty orator swaying his audience, 
whether rude or cultured, as trees are swayed by the 
wind, I say. Shall I not write "Paul the Orator" as the 
highest definition of this wonderful man? 

Let us offer, at least as a potential definition, Paul 
the man of wealth, for surely with such gifts and oppor- 
tunities he might have had whatever of material things 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 165 

his heart could crave. Again the picture changes ; I 
behold him surrounded with all the pomp and glory 
that wealth can give. I see a costly mansion with 
spacious porches, stately colonnades, vaulted ceilings, 
fluted columns, frescoed walls, galleries of pictures, cab- 
inets of statuary carved by the hands of earth's greatest 
masters. I see liveried servants, servile courtiers, ob- 
sequious attendants, fawning multitudes, and I say, Did 
not Paul make a great mistake? Has he not missed the 
most desirable definition that can be written after the 
name of a man? So, many in every age have decided. 
3. Now, beside these possible and potential definitions 
which express conceptions that men have ever held in 
such high esteem, place the man's own definition couched 
in the language of the text: "Paul, a servant of Jesus 
Christ." You may say. Is not this an awful disappoint- 
ment? Is it not in the nature of an anticlimax? Can 
any name so mean as "servant" be used to define a man 
except to his degradation and shame? Here is found 
the supreme thing that dignified and sanctified every- 
thing else in the estimation of Paul. Strange to say, he 
made service the standard for computing the value of 
every other power or possession. Everything else was 
measured in terms of service, and "Paul the servant" ex- 
pressed the sum total of all the other Pauls, however 
great in themselves they may have been or might have 
been. Paul the Jew, Paul the Israelite, Paul the scholar, 
Paul the orator, were all swallowed up in the one great, 
nobler, diviner phrase, "Paul the servant," which ex- 
pressed for him the deepest meaning and the largest pos- 
sible content of life. Paul said substantially the same 
thing in another form : "Now abideth faith, hope, love, 
these three, but the greatest of these is love." Why is 
love great? Because it is the motive power lying behind 



^ 166 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

truest, fullest, noblest service. Such service can not be 
rendered through the prompting of a logical faculty that 
lays down premises and reaches the cold, intellectual 
conclusion that it is right or best to serve. Thousands 
of well-meaning people go through that process and 
reach such conclusions, who never raise one little finger 
as a practical expression of such a noble sentiment. 
. Something else is required or the world's deep need will 
never be met. It is that something that holds the mother 
at the cradle of her sick child, that keeps the father 
faithful to his loved ones through the days and months 
and years of grinding toil, that holds the soldier in line 
of battle with face towards the foe ready to die, and 
that cheerfully, for his country ; yea, that something that 
is declared to be the very essence of God and prompted 
his greatest gift to men. It is love, the only motive ta 
truest, divinest, most unselfish service. It is this holy 
passion burning in the breast of the great apostle that 
enabled him to write, as the highest expression of his 
inner and outer self: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.**" 

II. The meaning and radical character of this defi- 
nition are shown in the importance and fundamental 
nature of service as revealed both in the sacred Scrip- 
tures and in the universe at large. 

I. It is not too much to say that the word "servant'* 
is one of the most prominent words in the Bible. In 
Young's "Concordance" there are nine columns given up 
to the word "service." If synonymous terms were taken 
into consideration, several additional columns would be 
added. In prominence and importance it stands in the 
very forefront of Bible terms. It looks out at us from, 
almost every page and line of the sacred Scriptures. 
This fact should arrest our attention. It raises a great 
and far-reaching question concerning the philosophy and 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 16T 

meaning of service in the economy of life. Furthermore, 
it is used with commendation. It is dignified and never 
belittled. What does this signify? Why should such 
prominence be given to this word? The answer to this 
question is pregnant with meaning. 

2. A little study and reflection leads to the conclusion 
that the law of service is the law of the universe, in- 
woven into, its very warp and woof. It operates in every 
part that goes to make up the complicated whole of 
God's creation as surely and as universally as the law of 
gravity operates in the material realm. Nothing can 
escape it except at its own destruction. In the inanimate 
world its operation is insured by the direct impress of the 
will of God. In the rational world it is set forth as a 
duty universally incumbent. All things that go to make 
up this vast universe are mutually related and interde- 
pendent. Nothing exists for itself, but each constituent 
part exists for all the rest. The whole creation pulsates 
with a common life, and groans and travails together in 
pain or rejoices in the realization of the common well- 
being. Man is kin to the senseless clod, to the worm 
that crawls beneath his feet, and to the celestial spirits 
who dwell in the presence of God. The one label that 
can appropriately be put on every object of nature, 
animate or inanimate, material or spiritual, is that of 
servant. Service is the one law that holds everything in 
bondage, and man most of all, since he constitutes an 
important factor in this universal frame; and for the 
further reason that thus is met and conserved the social 
propensity entering as a constitutional factor into his 
complex nature, and underlying the whole fabric of com- 
plicated relations and activities that go to make up the 
sum total of practical life. To escape this law would 
therefore place the individual in irreconcilable conflict 



168 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

with a great cosmic principle and violate one oi the 
deepest constitutional demands of the soul. To conform 
tc this law is to fulfill one of the conditions of the highest 
well-being and secure the largest, fullest, most harmo- 
nious development, and thus attain to the noblest des- 
tiny. 

God himself conforms to his own great law of service 
and places himself under its operation. In the very com- 
mencement of the divine revelation, the idea of work 
leaps into view : "In the beginning God created the 
heavens and the earth." Thence onward the Deity is 
characterized by the largest movement, and all his activ- 
ities keep supremely in view, service to his creatures. 
Beginning with himself, thence downward on each de- 
scending rank of creation, the word "servant" is indeli- 
bly written by the hand of the Creator. It is written in 
flaming letters on the stars that bedeck the blue canopy 
of heaven, on the all-beholding sun and planets that 
m.ake up our solar system. It is traced on every spring- 
ing flower and rustling leaf, and it is stamped in in- 
delible characters on the granite foundations of Mother 
Earth. It whispers in the zephyr that fans our cheek, it 
moans and sobs in the raging tempest, and sighs in the 
billows of the mighty deep. It reverberates in the 
thunder that shakes the everlasting hills, and is written 
b)/ the finger of the forked lightning on the clouds of 
heaven. Its universality is declared by every worm that 
crawls, every fish that swims, every bird that sings, and 
every animal that stalks the plain. All nature is bound 
by its great law from "the little animalcule that floats 
in the drop of water, to the huge leviathan that sports in 
the mighty deep." But its highest function, under God 
and the angels, is realized in man, who, by virtue of his 
godlike powers, can serve most and best. Here this 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 169 

great law manifests itself in most beneficent ways and 
produces its highest fruits. 

3. In obedience to this law, all men and all aggrega- 
tions of men have ever realized their highest and best 
development. The hermit bars before himself the en- 
trance into the fields of noblest endeavor and of largest 
progress. Violating a universal principle of God's uni- 
verse and a constitutional law of his own being, he is 
doomed to a continually diminishing life, and to the 
atrophy of all his godlike powers. Serve or perish is the 
law stamped upon his triune being, and, failing in this 
constitutional function, he accepts the sad alternative 
and meets his divinely appointed doom. Hermit nations 
afford another striking example of the results that follow 
a violation of this great law. Wherever a hermit nation 
is found, we see a nation far behind its contemporaries 
who have escaped the commission of this unpardonable 
sin. Such nations are not moving in the ever onward 
and upward sweep that is bearing humanity to its final 
high destiny, but, on the contrary, are sinking deeper 
and deeper in the slough of intellectual darkness and 
superstition. Witness to-day China and Tibet and other 
less conspicuous examples, but all testifying to the inex- 
orable certainty of the penalty that follows violation of 
divine law. Hermit churches always and everywhere 
suffer the fate of all things that violate this cosmic prin- 
ciple. The only churches that live growingly are the 
missionary churches, and what is a missionary church 
but one that moves in harmony with the all-pervasive law 
of service that binds heaven and earth in one vital or- 
ganic unity? "1 am debtor" is the life-giving, impulsive, 
expansive principle in the individual and collective body, 
and the more generous the interpretation given to it, and 
the larger the field opened for its exercise, the higher 



170 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

and grander will the attainments be. What meanings 
therefore, is couched in the words of the Master: ''Who- 
soever would be first among you shall be servant of all." 
This truth reaches down to the deepest depths of God's 
universe and up to him who sits upon the throne, who 
is greatest of all because — I say it reverently — he is in 
truth the servant of all. He, therefore, is most godlike 
who serves the largest number. He is nearest kin to the 
heavenly Father. 

4. The great principle on which the hierarchies of 
time and eternity are created thus becomes plain. **Who 
shall be greatest?" is no unworthy inquiry, nor is it 
necessarily selfish. It only becomes mean and selfish 
when a wrong principle of gradation is adopted. Let 
him be greatest who possesses most ; who is richest in 
houses, lands, goods, things external that a man may 
hold in his hand. Away with such a God-dishonoring, 
man-debasing doctrine from the earth. Too long its 
blighting effects have cursed this fair world, and turned 
God's Eden into a wilderness of woe. See those dwarfed, 
unhappy children, those sad- faced, woe-begone women, 
those hapless wretches in whose breast the flame of hope 
is barely flickering before it shall go out in blackness and 
darkness forever. Where shall we look for the cause 
of all this woe? To the greed of men protected often 
under forms of law. To the principle, in short, that he 
is greatest who has most. Let him be greatest who is 
strongest, who wields the most powerful scepter. Shall 
this be our principle of gradation? No, no, a thousand 
times, no. This is the principle that has oppressed the 
weak, enslaved millions of helpless victims, quenched the 
spirit of liberty, lighted the fagots of the Inquisition, 
tramped ruthlessly on myriads of unfortunate beings, and 
then mocked at their appeals for pity. Yes, it is this 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 171 

principle that has drenched the earth in rivers of blood 
and made it a great graveyard for the bones and ashes 
of murdered innocence in numbers too vast for the 
human mind to grasp or comprehend. But why pro- 
long this search when there is a principle of ranking 
ready at hand, which every right-minded man will gladly, 
cheerfully, accept, yea, the very mention of which causes 
the eye to kindle with fond assent and the bosom to 
heave with most cordial approval ? Yea, a principle which 
even Heaven itself delights to honor. Listen and catch 
the moral rhythm as I announce it, or rather repeat it 
as formulated by Joseph Parker, "Let him be greatest 
who can do the most for men." Through the operation 
of this principle let the ranks be formed from lowest to 
highest, not ending until we reach the throne of God. 
Then will the words of the Master be found to be true. 
He is greatest who is servant of all, and the next in 
order shall take his place and all with one acclaim shall 
say, *Tt is well ; it is well." 

III. I must point to some specific obligation in- 
volved in this supreme definition. 

I. Paul felt that it placed him under the highest ob- 
ligation to promulgate in word and deed the doctrine of 
Christ. All the wisdom of the world pales into utter 
insignificance as compared with that knowledge which 
''to the Jew was a stumbling-block and to the Greek fool- 
ishness," but to him it was "the power of God and the 
wisdom of God." Hence he could say : "I determined to 
know nothing among you but Jesus and him crucified." 
"God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Jesus 
Christ." "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, 
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one 
that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." 
Not only his every word, but his every action, was a 



172 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

vindication and a proclamation of the gospel of Christ. 
The cross of Christ, the symbol of death, in his hands 
became the noblest symbol of life the world has ever 
seen. So may it be with each of you. Through your 
words and deeds may the cross of Christ be magnified 
in the salvation of men. 

2. It also led him to the widest possible application 
of altruistic principles. "I am debtor to all men." On 
what supernal heights the man must stand to utter such 
a sentiment. What wonderful sweep to the vision of 
such a man. His eye scanned the wide horizon, bounding 
the entire human family. All race and caste and class 
lines disappear, and he sees a common humanity, children 
of a common Father, united in a common tie of brother- 
hood, each the servant of every other. How this sen- 
tence throbs and pulsates with the divinest love. Its 
music falls into the same rhythm and melody that vibrates 
in the commission of the Master he served: "Go preach 
the gospel to every creature." In this day of growing 
class ideas and caste distinctions, even in the church of 
Christ, it looks out at us as the face of an accusing angel. 
Yet upon him who has caught the godlike breadth of its 
spirit it beams with the divine love-light that shines in 
the face of the Son of God. 

3. He felt impelled to make the supreme sacrifice as 
the only adequate expression of the service due. Listen 
as he recounts the completeness of the surrender : "I 
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowl- 
edge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I sufifered the 
loss of all things, and do count them but refuse that I 
may gain Christ." "Glorying in you, brethren, which I 
have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." "Who shall 
separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or 
anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 17S 

or sword? Even as it is written, For thy sake we are 
killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for 
the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than 
conquerors through him that loved us." Can you face 
this supreme test of service? Nay, let me include my- 
self in this soul-searching inquiry. Will we as servants 
of Jesus Christ be found worthy to take our places by the 
side of Paul? God help us, lest at this point we should 
fail, and, by seeking to save our lives, lose the eternal 
crown. May we be found of that number of whom it 
will be said : "These are they who have come up through 
great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb." He performed 
this service in the most cheerful spirit. Even good 
service, if it be grudgingly rendered, loses much of its 
value. Such is a slave's service. 

But such was not the service of Paul. In the Roman 
dungeon he was so happy and buoyant that his songs 
woke the echoes of the old prison and made the gloomy 
corridors ring with heavenly music. Hear him cry: 
"Let us all rejoice in our tribulations, knowing that trib- 
ulation worketh patience, and patience approbation [ap- 
proved character], and approbation hope." "Blessed be 
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father 
of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us 
in our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them 
that are in any affliction through the comfort wherewith 
we are ourselves comforted." "I am filled with comfort, 
I overflow with joy in all my affliction." His advice to 
his brethren was: "Rejoice in hope." "Rejoice ever 
more. Again I say, Rejoice." You are not to go through 
this world like quarry-slaves, performing your task with 
hopeless, and dejected, servile mien, scourged to your 
dungeon each night, but go with heads erect and noble 



174 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

posture of body, with hope in your eyes and joy in your 
hearts ; so shall your life become an ever-increasing bene- 
diction to your fellows ; so shall you assist in alleviating 
the sorrows of men and increasing the world's joy. So 
shall you come at last exultantly with shouts of victory 
to say with Paul : "I am now ready to be offered, and 
the time of my departure is come. I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 
henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous- 
ness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me 
at that day." And may you have also attained to such 
supreme, unselfish love that you, too, with him may add : 
''And not to me only, but to all those also that have loved 
his appearing." 

The deep, far-reaching meaning of Paul's definition 
now becomes clear. To be a servant of Jesus Christ was 
to fulfill the highest function of his being. It was to 
range himself under the operation of the great, all- 
pervasive law of God's universe. It was to follow out 
a line of noblest activity in rendering highest service to 
the race. The largest altruistic sentiment henceforth 
would dominate every thought and action, and lay under 
tribute every faculty of mind and body. 

The hour that this new controlling impulse took pos- 
session of his soul, a new man was created, and hence a 
new name became necessary. Saul of Tarsus would no 
longer serve as an adequate designation. The new man 
must have a new name. Hereafter he shall be called 
Paul, and the essential definition shall be "servant of 
Jesus Christ." Young people, I trust that each one of 
you will need a new name henceforth. It is a pity to 
go through the world and be adequately and sufficiently 
designated by a single name. It is a sad miscarriage of 
the divine purpose if the name that adequately describes 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 175 

in early life is appropriate to the years of maturity and 
advancing age. I trust you will each earn from the 
world a new name such as the angels will be proud to 
write on the records of heaven. You may not all earn 
the same name. It may require different titles to ade- 
quately define your divine activities, but if your lives are 
worthy of your heaven-bought privileges and opportuni- 
ties, one name will swallow up all others in the profound 
depth and matchless scope of its meaning, and that name 
will be — servant of Jesus Christ. 



SERMON XVI. 

Feedini the Multitudes and Saving the Fragments* 

Text. — John 6 : 12, 13 : "When they were filled, he said unto 
his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing 
be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve 
baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which re- 
mained over and above unto them that had eaten." 

I. The story of the feeding of five thousand is one of 
the interesting incidents in Christ's life. Great multi- 
tudes had follow^ed him into a somev^hat remote place, 
v^^here there w^as little chance of entertainment. There 
seemed to be no visible means of feeding the great 
crowd. According to John, Jesus asked: "Where shall 
we buy bread, that these may eat?" Matthew gives us 
a suggestion of the disciples : "Send the multitudes away, 
that they may go into the villages and buy bread." Jesus 
said : "They need not depart." Philip answered and said : 
"Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for 
them that every one may take a little." Andrew said: 
"There is a lad here with five barley loaves and two 
small fishes, but what are those among so many?" 

Jesus instructed them to have the multitude sit down, 
and thereupon he broke the loaves and fishes and dis- 
tributed to the company, about five thousand men in 
number, and, after all had eaten to their satisfaction, he 
instructed them to gather up the broken portions, and 
they took up twelve baskets full. 

Such incidents as these are intensely interesting for 



*Parker's "People's Bible," volume on John, pp. 101-107. 
176 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 177 

many reasons. They excite our wonder and consequently 
they are very entertaining stories. We are naturally fond 
of the wonderful. They are, however, more interesting 
for the great lessons and principles discoverable in them. 
If we miss these, the thing of chiefest value is lost. It 
m.ay be a good thing to be entertained, but it is better to 
be instructed. We need knowledge more than entertain- 
ment. 

There are lessons in this incident that should be of 
great profit to young people just entering upon the active 
duties of life. It may well occupy the attention of young 
people who have been preparing to feed the hungry mul- 
titudes, for if this has not been the purpose of your edu- 
cation, I fear it has been largely in vain. 

In the study of this incident I am impressed with: 
I. The lavish benevolence of the Saviour of men. 

1. Everything connected with Jesus suggests large- 
ness. There is never any indication of meagerness or 
narrowness. His nature seems to scorn all limitations. 
He does everything royally. 

You could not circumscribe his sympathy or love or 
compassion. He was not a class man. He poured out 
his love like a river. His teaching and work were 
characterized by wonderful scope. He scorned all re- 
strictions. He was not hampered by any creed, except 
the creed of boundless love. 

How characteristic now is this miracle. It has large- 
ness. Jesus broke, and still continued to break until 
there was no possibility of unsatisfied hunger. Appar- 
ently he could have fed ten thousand or a hundred thou- 
sand with equal ease, and why not, since in him were the 
resources of God? 

2. In all this Jesus shows his true origin. He is 
worthy of his relationship. He resembles his Father. 



178 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

We may well comprehend his meaning when he said: 
"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." God never 
does anything stingily and miserly. He is generous with 
sunlight ; he pours down an ocean of light. He is 
lavish with his leaves, flowers. He is Hberal in his gifts 
of air and water, food and raiment, and all things that 
contribute to the good of his creatures. 

n God has seemed at any time to be sparing, it was 
because we did not know how to use his gifts. Some- 
times we need the discipline of keen want. Sometimes 
his very generosity has caused us to forget him, and it 
has taken misfortune to teach us our dependence. Happy 
are we if it serves this purpose. 

In this lavish benevolence of Christ we get a hint 
of the duty a true man owes the world. He must needs 
be a great giver who has been a large receiver. 

II. The tendency in man to wastefulness should re- 
ceive a check from Christ's disposition of the frag- 
ments. 

1. It is exceedingly easy to waste our inheritance. 
It is harder to save than to earn. It is the saving that 
shows skill. It is very easy to waste money, especially if 
we do not earn it. It is a habit easily formed and hard 
to correct. It is very easy to waste time. To gather 
up the fragments of time is an art to be coveted. It is 
very easy to waste opportunities. Many of the most 
precious chances to do good we overlook or neglect. 

2. We are liable to throw away more than we use. 
This is true in professional and business life. The suc- 
cessful man must needs become absorbed, but business 
should never get to be the end of living. When this 
happens we fail of the true purpose of life. In our 
complete absorption we may fail to think of the wants 
of others. We may neglect our own culture. We may 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 179 

overlook the demands of home and family life. We may 
disregard all philanthropic opportunities. Such a man 
rriay be successful as the world sees it, and yet he may 
have wasted more than he has saved. His success may 
be only apparent. 

The same thing is true in school life. We admire 
the industrious student. We like to see intellectual hun- 
ger. A good student is, however, exposed to a great 
danger. He may neglect the demands of the physical 
man by taking no exercise. He may neglect general 
literary work. He may omit his religious duties. He 
may pay no attention to manners and dress. He may 
disregard the social amenities. God breaks unto him 
bread in lavish abundance, but he does not gather up 
the broken portions. Many a man goes out of college 
with the highest grade, yet utterly disqualified for use- 
fulness because of what he has wasted. 

3. We must never be satisfied with present supply. 
Live for to-morrow is the true rule of life. We never 
admire those who live simply for to-day. We call them 
improvident, thoughtless, careless. How many such 
there are in the various realms of thought and action. 
They never think of to-morrow. We see this exemplified 
in the callings of life. The blacksmith shoes your horse 
as if he would never need to shoe it again. The tailor 
makes your coat as if it were the last one he ever ex- 
pected to make. Such persons live for to-day alone. 

The teacher sees it exemplified every day in the 
classroom. Lessons are gotten simply for recitation pur- 
poses. Any way to get through the day is the habit of 
many. 

4. We waste by not recognizing our opportunities for 
saving. How much of experience have we gathered 
up for future use? How many lessons have we learned? 



180 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

What have we saved out of our lavish portion? God'^s 
providences should be remembered for the sake of to- 
morrow. We should not forget our humiliations and 
defeats, for even these may constitute a valuable asset. 
How much of what we have read have we stored up? 
Why do we read history? It should be prophecy for us. 
Why do we read poetry? For to-morrow, not for pas- 
time or amusement. 

III. The necessary conditions of helpfulness are 
here shown. 

1. Consciousness of resources is the first essential. 
Christ had no doubt as to his power. The doubter is 
doomed. Confidence is a condition of success. Do not 
let your small accumulation discourage you. After all 
your accumulations, you doubtless feel that your portion 
is small. Who ever had more than five loaves and two 
fishes at the beginning, but do not hesitate until you 
think you have a great storehouse full. Know, how- 
ever, that the finite can be multiplied by the infinite. 
You must undertake much on faith. Be brave, and do 
not forget that the resources of Heaven are pledged to 
the faithful, earnest man. 

2. Use what you have. Christ did not throw away 
the loaves because the supply was small. Possession is 
to some no better than want, because they fail to use 
what they have. Remember also that the world is blessed 
by what we give and that the condition of increase is 
supplied in giving. To withhold is to lose ; to give is 
to increase. God begins just where you leave off. Here 
is a hint of how to call God into the partnership. Use 
what you have and you will draw a check upon the bank 
of heaven. Some people want enough reHgion to last 
through life. Use what you have. It may be small, but 
it will increase. If you don't use it, you will lose it. 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 18i 

3. Give where it is needed. Don't try to create a 
want, but supply want. Feed the hungry, and do not 
quarrel with people who are not hungry because they 
refuse your bread. Jesus did not have to coax men to 
take the bread. Why? Because they were hungry. He 
supplied a want. Do not go around the world asking 
people to let you feed them. If you have bread to give, 
you will find hungry people and such will be fed. 

IV. The way to win and hold men is here shown. 

1. Some try to hold men by force. This is a hopeless 
task. Some try to hold men by sugar-plums or bouquets. 
This is a childish business and it soon wears out. You 
can't hold men by figures of speech, tones of voice or 
gestures. The only lasting power is the ability to feed 
men. If you can satisfy hunger, you will be king. This 
is a great, hungry world, and it will not be permanently 
satisfied with anything but bread. 

2. This way of holding men applies in every realm of 
human life. Take it first on the lowest plane of the 
physical. The cook is one of the last persons we will 
care to part with. Young ladies, if I were going to give 
a matrimonial recipe that would prove generally effec- 
tive, I would write it in three words, ''Learn to cook." 
This accomplishrhent will never grow unpopular. 

The same rule holds good in the intellectual and 
spiritual realm. You can not hold men by literary 
froth. Sensational literature is proverbially short-lived. 
Healthy minds demand bread and not ice-cream and 
soda-water. Dessert is acceptable provided it comes 
after a good meal. 

This rule is peculiarly applicable in the religious 
realm. Christ said, 'T am bread," 'T am water." He 
fed the spiritual hunger of men. The religious nature 
can not live on sentiment simply. It demands bread. 



182 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

Religious life does not consist of pious exclamations or 

singing of songs. It is generous, loving life for men. 

In conclusion, let me throw out two suggestions. 

1. Let us never lose sight of the true .source of 
supply. The disciples made a characteristic suggestion: 
"Send the multitude away." This is the habit of many 
who profess to be teachers. They send the multitude 
anywhere but to Christ. Literature, politics, the latest 
sensation, are dished up from the pulpit. It is an attempt 
to feed the spiritual hunger of men on husks. It is 
sending the multitude away from Christ for satisfaction. 
Jesus says : ''They need not depart." 

2. Let us learn from this the scope of the truly edu- 
cated man's work. Has a man a social nature? He 
should find food for this in proper ways. If the church 
did its duty in this regard, there would be no room for 
social organizations, clubhouses and other social expe- 
dients. Try to bring about a great reform in this. Has 
man an intellectual nature? Then he should endeavor 
to supply real bread-houses for him. Here, again, the 
church may be of service. The pulpit should be intel- 
lectual and not simply a place for dealing out religious 
platitudes. Has man a spiritual nature ? Then he should 
not fail to provide for this want. He should minister to 
his spiritual needs, which no doubt is his highest function, 
and this may be done in many ways. In short, the edu- 
cated man should feed the legitimate hunger of men, 
and not attempt to pander to their vitiated tastes or de- 
praved appetites. 

Let us above all learn that we need to come closer 
to the Christ and realize that in him is fullness of supply. 
He will solve all our questions and meet all our wants. 
He is the bread that came down from heaven, of which 
if we eat we shall never hunger any more. 



SERMON XVII. 

The Possessor Justified* 

Text. — ^Judg. 14 : 14 : "Out of the eater came forth food, and 
out of the strong came forth sweetness." 

This historic incident is in brief as follows : Samson, 
on his way down to Timnath, had slain a lion. Passing 
that way soon after, he found that a swarm of bees had 
taken possession of the carcass as a storehouse in which 
to garner the product of their toil, all unmindful of the 
predatory tendency of that lord of creation called man 
which prompts him to appropriate to his own use the 
possessions of all inferior beings. 

Samson ate of the honey and gave of it to his friends. 
Afterward, at a feast which he made, he propounded the 
riddle based on this incident, promising a reward to 
those who would guess it. The Philistines were per- 
plexed for days and could not guess the riddle, until 
finally they ascertained the meaning through the assist- 
ance of Samson's wife. 

I take this as suggestive of: 

I. The tenacity with which man holds on to his 
personal possessions. 

"Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the 
strong came forth sweetness," but it was not a voluntary 
gift. The lion did not bring the meat to Samson when 



*Some of the suggestions for this sermon came from a bac- 
calaureate sermon published in a book of sermons issued, as I 
remember it, by a college president in Illinois, whose name I 
have forgotten and the book is missing from my shelves. 
(7) 



184 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

in the possession of his powers. It was not an act of 
benevolence. He used his strength for self. So has it 
generally been among men. The eater has simply striven 
to continue eating. He has tried to get, but not to give. 
The giving has only come when the eater could no longer 
retain his possessions. This is illustrated : 

1. In the use that kings have made of power. Long 
did the idea prevail that the people lived for the king. 
Seldom have kings felt that they held their power for the 
sake of the people. The rights of the people have re- 
ceived scant recognition, much less has the idea of service 
been entertained. Magna chartas have been wrenched 
from the hands of unwilling despots ; constitutions guar- 
anteeing civil and religious liberty have been grudgingly 
given, and under compulsion. 

2. In the use that special classes have made of power. 
The feudal lord ground the serf under the iron heel of 
despotism. The rights of the many had to be taken by 
force. Patricians have yielded to plebeians only when 
driven to do so. The history of slavery in this coun- 
try furnishes a striking example of the reluctance of 
the dominant class to grant to the weak their natural 
rights. 

3. In the use made of the power of legislation. It 
seems to be well-nigh impossible for legislators to rise 
to the level of real statesmanship. Questions are largely 
considered from a sectional or party standpoint, irrespec- 
tive of justice and right. Sometimes out of the dead 
lion, honey is brought forth. Out of the political grave 
of a party, comes the voice of real patriotism. Sometimes 
a party chastened by defeat returns to power as the 
servant of the people. 

4. In the use made of the power of money. The mad 
race for money has always characterized the majority 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 185 

of men, but it has been for self. The tendency has been 
to hold on to it until the last possible moment. To get 
in order to give has been the purpose of but very few. 
But out of the dead carcass often honey has come. Many 
who hoard their money while living, give it to the people 
when dead, in some form of charity or benevolence. 

5. In the use made of great personal endowments 
we gather the same lesson. It is a common but melan- 
choly sight to see great personal gifts prostituted to 
selfish ends. To use personal endowments for the benefits 
of mankind is a thing lovely to behold. 

But usually there must come a slaying before the 
honey is yielded. It is a hard battle to kill self, but it is 
only out of the dead carcass of selfishness that the honey 
of real benevolence is procured. Is not this Christ's 
meaning when he says, *'He that would come after me 
must deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow 
me"? 

6. In the use made of the power of education. Of 
all the instruments of power, education is the greatest. 
Alas that this gift of power should ever have been pros- 
tituted to purely selfish ends ! yet such has been the rule. 
True, the many have been indirectly blessed, but the 
service has not been voluntary. The majority who seek 
an education do it for selfish purposes. Service is not 
in their thought. Their idea is purely commercial or one 
equally as debasing. There will have to be a slaying 
before the honey of benevolence will be yielded up. 

II. The divine law of restitution is here shown. 

I. "Pay that thou owest" is a law of God that can 
not be escaped. Man may refuse to discharge his obliga- 
tion, but God's law is inexorable. Every one must pay 
what he owes. He must meet his obligation, either will- 
ingly or by compulsion. ''Every knee shall bow and every 



186 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

tongue shall confess," either willingly or unwillingly, 
sooner or later, in this world or in the world to come. 

2. To withhold is to cast a blight upon the soul. This 
is shown in the families of kings very often. Pampered 
by luxury, deterioration is the not infrequent result. The 
children of rich people frequently tell the same sad story. 
Failing to give proper returns for what they have re- 
ceived, decay inevitably follows. 

To live for self is to insure ruin, while to live for 
others insures growth. 

3. The dwarfing tendence of the sordid use of power 
is equally apparent. Nothing can be used for purely 
selfish ends except at awful peril. The soul withers like 
the tender plant under a June frost when selfishness be- 
comes the ruling passion. This law also affects races as 
well as individuals. Philanthropic people are in the line 
of true development, as universal observation shows. 
The peoples who pour out their treasures for the world 
are the ones that grow in strength and power. 

III. The conditions and obligations of greatness are 
also clearly revealed in this incident. 

I. The first condition of greatness is that man shall 
be an eater. This is true physically, as we all recognize 
at once. This lion was an eater. So is every human 
lion, no matter in what domain he may move. The man 
who refuses to eat physically, intellectually or morally 
is doomed to decay and death. However, man must know 
how to eat, what to eat and when to eat in order to 
secure his full development. No man can be a lion that 
eats the wrong things. 

This is true physically. Wholesome food is essential, 
and it must be taken at regular intervals and in proper 
quantities. 

This is true intellectually. A strong intellect is con- 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 187 

ditioned on the proper amount and kind of intellectual 
food. Many fail at this point. To have no intellectual 
hunger is a great misfortune. One of the great benefits 
of an education is to develop an appetite and to learn 
what to eat and where to get it. If you have failed here, 
your education will be of little account. 

This is true spiritually. The spiritual man is devel- 
oped by eating just as truly as the physical and intel- 
lectual. 

To be able to give to each part that which belongs to 
it within bounds, is the part of wisdom. Sometimes the 
physical monopolizes the time and thought of the man, 
sometimes the intellectual, sometimes the religious, 
though more rarely. He is a wise man who recognizes 
each part and properly provides for it. 

2. The second condition of greatness is strength. 
Eating does not always produce strength. The swine is 
a great eater, but is not specially noted for strength, 
^lany men are swine, some physically, some intellectually, 
and may I not say some religiously? They are simply 
gormandizers. They eat for the pleasure of eating, not 
for the sake of strength, much less for the sake of service. 

The great purpose of a college course is to develop 
strength. If it fails in this, it is of little avail. Strength, 
however, is not an absolutely fixed quantity, the same in 
all persons. It is not the result of a definite amount of 
exercise. An eagle is as strong in one sense as a lion. 
Even the little ant is as strong in one view of the case 
as an elephant. That thing is strongest that does its 
work best. This principle is coming to be largely recog- 
nized in the educational world. We ask more and more 
what is the field in which this pupil will move with 
greatest power, and consequently with most success as 
indicated by his natural proclivities, desires and aptitudes. 



188 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

And be it observed, strength is displayed in a great 
diversity of ways. A man may be strong as a leader or 
strong as a follower. A man in the ranks may be as 
strong in his way as the general is in his. 

For every strong leader, the world needs many strong 
followers. Do not imagine you must be a strong leader 
or nothing. The world needs followers to-day more than 
anything else. It needs many earnest men who are 
willing to work in humble places. Here some of the 
greatest heroes are found. It is the servants that can do 
the little things to whom the greatest rewards will fall 
at last. 

3. Note the fact that these conditions are means to 
an end. ''Out of the eater came forth meat." Eating 
is never an end in either the physical, intellectual or 
spiritual worlds. Youth is the great receptive period, but 
the purpose is that you may break bread to famishing 
thousands after awhile. 

Neither is it sufficient to be merely a bread-giver. 
There is a great deal in manner as well as in matter. 
"Out of the strong came forth sweetness." Try to make 
the bread you give pleasant to the taste. There is a way 
to feed a beggar that is little better than to starve him. 
It is so easy to wound the delicate sensibilities of the soul, 
even when we aim to be helpful. There is a strength 
that manifests itself in the earthquake and storm and 
fire, a strength that appals. There is also a strength 
that is like the gentle warmth of the sun in spring, when 
he kisses the frost-bitten world into beautiful life, and 
by the gentle radiance of his countenance causes all 
nature to put on the smile of happiness. Be yours the 
strength of the vernal sun, rather than the strength of 
the cyclone. Of you may it be said, "Out of the strong 
came forth sweetness.'* 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 189 

IV. The contrast that the ages past present when 
compared with the present is worthy of consideration. 

The history of the world seems Hkely to be written in two 
great chapters. 

1. The first chapter records the history of selfish 
power. Samson's lion lived and died a selfish brute. 
For whatever benefits that may have come out of him, 
he in no sense deserved the credit. In this respect this 
lion may serve as a type of men in the world's early his- 
tory. Every nation seems first to worship at the shrine 
of selfish power. At first simply physical strength was 
the dominant idea. Men of physical strength were the 
heroes. Deeds of valor won the admiration of mankind. 

Then intellectual power became the popular ideal. 
The world worshiped at the shrine of intellect. I speak 
of the civilized parts of the world. 

In both cases the power is held as a purely personal 
possession. No high generous obligation was recognized. 
The idea of helpful service does not seem to have entered 
into the thought of men. 

2. A new chapter of history has, however, been begun. 
A nobler, grander thought is gradually coming to possess 
the hearts of men. The world is beginning to realize 
that there is something greater than merely selfish power. 
The godlike principle of love is coming to be regarded 
as "the greatest thing in the world." Eighteen hundred 
years ago the great Teacher gave to the world the idea 
that has gradually transformed it — namely, the inherent 
dignity and intrinsic greatness of man — and he declared 
that the second greatest commandment was, "Thou shalt 
love thy neighbor as thyself." Under the influence of 
these great thoughts new and strange results are seen 
to-day. Now out of the eater comes forth food, and 
often it is the voluntary gift of love. It is voluntarily 



190 BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 

yielded up by the living lion, and this is the most hopeful 
sign of our time. 

Institutions of charity are being founded and colleges 
endowed by men who are living and even while in the 
very prime of life. Personal possessions are coming 
more and more to be regarded as gifts in trust. Educated 
men are coming closer to the masses than ever before. 
Out of the strong is beginning to flow a stream of bless- 
ing that will rival in its sweetness the honeycomb plucked 
by Samson from the carcass of the lion, and this stream 
is the voluntary outpouring of hearts touched by the 
finger of divine love. 

Young people, there is less excuse for a selfish life 
to-day than ever in the world's history. Selfish living 
is blindness, as history shows. To live for self is to shut 
your eyes to the voice of history; and then, too, the 
world's need is better known than ever before. The 
brotherhood of man is more generally recognized thaa 
in former ages. You must live for men to meet the 
just expectation of the present day. 

We send you forth as benefactors of the race. We 
expect a diligent and self-sacrificing service. We expect 
a cheerful and enthusiastic service. You will be fol- 
lowed on the journey by our anxiety and yearning, by 
our prayers and our love. I know you will not disap- 
point us by failing to perform the high service to which 
you are called. 

As lines radiating from a given point upon a sphere, 
will, if produced, meet again in a common point, so your 
lives, diverging from this common point to-day, will one 
day unite at the happy meeting-place that is the fruition 
of every worthy hope, the realization of every exalted 
aspiration and the end of all righteous endeavor. Then^ 
amidst the plaudits of an approving universe, may we all 



BACCALAUREATE SERMONS 191 

receive the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, shall give. 

Heretofore I have said students. We as teachers 
have watched you with solicitude as we have seen your 
powers expanding. We have looked upon you more as 
children growing up under our fostering care. I wish 
now to address you by another name. I call you brethren, 
because henceforth you take your places by our side in 
the ranks of workers for mankind. With us you go 
forth, not as heretofore, to drill for the engagement, but 
to engage in the conflict that ends not until life's declin- 
ing sun casts its last rays upon the scene of conflict and 
struggle. I call you brethren, because I can address you 
as fellow-servants and followers of Him who never lost 
a battle and in whose name we all shall conquer. I call 
you brethren, because of the feeling of kinship existing 
in the hearts of those who are actuated by like principles, 
motives, aspirations and desires. I call your brethren, 
because we have a common Father whom we love to 
revere ; a common Saviour whom we love to cherish ; a 
common service in which our hearts delight ; a common 
faith by which we are shielded from the darts of the 
enemy ; a common hope by which our souls are anchored ; 
a common destiny as the fruition of our fondest desires. 

Brethren, youngest children of our great family, go 
forth with our blessing, with our sympathy and with our 
love, and may the benediction of our Father abide upon 
you. 



PART SECOND 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 



193 



Convocation Sermons 



SERMON I. 

The Irreparable Past and the Available Future"^ 

Text. — Mark 14:41, 42: "And he cometh the third time, and 
saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest : it is enough ; 
the hour is come ; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the 
hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go ; behold, he that betrayeth 
me is at hand." 

There is no better time to consider the lessons of this 
text than at the beginning of a new school year. These 
two sentences arrest our attention because of their seem- 
ingly opposite nature. 

There is permission to sleep and there is command 
to arise and be going. It would seem that these sentences 
could hardly stand together consistently. It is interesting 
to ask what our Saviour could have meant. 

I. Let us first seek a solution of this seeming con- 
tradiction. 

I. This language stands connected with one of the 
last scenes of Christ's life. This is his Gethsemane. The 
destiny of the world now hung trembling in the balance. 
The command had gone forth to seize him, yet he was 
still free. His enemies are plotting, but have not yet 
acted. Will the plot succeed? Or may we ask, Will 
Christ rescue himself? He declared he had power to 
do it. 



*I am indebted to Robertson's Sermons for certain thoughts 
and suggestions used in this sermon : pp. 426-436. 

195 



196 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

In this awful struggle Christ had chosen three men, 
favored ones, to be witnesses of his suffering, with the 
command to "watch." 

2. The question here arises, Why give such a charge ? 
Christ may have felt the need of sympathy — human sym- 
pathy. He never needed it more. It takes a sympathetic 
heart to appreciate sympathy. Who could sympathize 
like Christ? Yet, after all, they could not help him 
much. Who can understand Christ's sorrows? But it 
is something to have the sympathy of even a dog; he 
does not understand you, yet he feels a kind of sympathy. 
Christ no doubt yearned for sympathy just as we do, 
but he did not get it. It was, no doubt, an additional 
pang to feel that he was left alone. How little we can 
do for each other in life's extremities, yet how much it 
is to feel hearts vibrating in sympathy. Christ asked 
this of Peter, James and John : *'Watch ;" let me not feel 
that you can sleep while I suffer. 

One more thing they could do. It was the hour of 
peril; they could guard him, or at least warn him of ap- 
proaching danger. This was a duty from their stand- 
point. They should have been awake and on guard. 

Twice this command was given. When he retired 
alone, and again when he came and found them asleep. 
What sadness must have been in his look and voice when 
he found his request disregarded. Again he came and 
found them asleep, and went away sorrowful and alone. 
When he came a third time the opportunity was gone. 
It was too late for either sympathy or vigilance. ''Now 
sleep on," he said, and bitterness and sorrow must have 
been combined in the utterance. 

3. In the next sentence Jesus addresses himself to the 
future duty. So far as the past is concerned, sleep on ; 
so far as the future is concerned, "Arise, let us be going." 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 197 

If it was too late to guard, it was not too late to share 
his disgrace. 

Here Christ brings out a wonderful lesson as to the 
irreparable past and the available future. 

II. We are thus led to consider the irreparable 
past and gather its lessons. "Sleep on, and take your 
rest." 

In these words are couched a great principle. There 
is an irreparable past; after a certain time it is no use 
to wake. The mischief done can not be undone. The 
mistake made can not be corrected. 

I. This principle holds good with reference to time 
gone. Time is a solemn inheritance ; a section cut out 
of eternity, and given us to do our work in. There is an 
eternity behind and before. He who knows the signifi- 
cance of time will not be long in learning this lesson. 

Have we realized this? Do we reahze how the little 
streamlet is hurrying by? Is it not madness to sleep 
away the hours of duty? Every day has its work. 
Every morning it puts the question. What will you do 
with me? You have seen the statue at the public foun- 
tain from which water is flowing through mouth or 
hands. There is no effort to check the flow ; so, many 
are doing with time. They are as careless as a bronze 
statue. Time slips away with no effort on their part to 
use it. So, the destiny of many is being determined. 
Soon it will be too late to change the record. This 
passage says. What has been your life and what do you 
intend it shall be? Last year, last month, last week — 
they are gone. Yesterday was such a day as you will 
never see again. What did we do with it? To-day is 
such a day as you will never have again. How will you 
use it? "Sleep on" — sad words ; how full of upbraiding; 
how full of alarm. 



198 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

The day will come when we will not measure oilr 
time by years, nor by months, nor by days, but by hours, 
yea, by moments. God forbid that then for the first time 
we shall awake. 

2. This principle applies with respect to preparing 
for temptation. The hour in the garden was a precious 
opportunity for gaining strength. Christ knew it well 
and improved it, hence there was no struggle afterward. 
The apostles missed it ; no wonder Peter denied his Lord, 
and the others fled in terror. 

A great lesson should come to us : Get ready for the 
emergency that is sure to come. Why so much moral 
failure ? Here is the explanation : men are unprepared 
for the crucial moment, hence they go down in the strug- 
gle. Show me the man who has fought the battle on his 
knees and I will show you a man who will meet tempta- 
tion. No time is so well spent as that spent in prayer. 
No time to pray, do you say? God pity you. I tremble 
for you. 

3. This principle applies with respect to lost oppor- 
tunities for doing good. They never return. We are 
in this world for a most definite purpose: we are here 
to educate our hearts by deeds of love ; to be instruments 
of blessing to others, and thereby bless ourselves. There 
are two ways to accomplish the latter: we can guard 
them from danger, and we can smooth their pathway by 
kindly sympathy. All can do one or the other; kind 
words cost little. Ten, twenty years are gone; how 
much has been done in this way in your life? Who has 
charged himself with his brother's safety? Have you? 
The omission of these things is irreparable. Have you 
considered your own purest joy and how the world has 
been groaning under its agony and you asleep? Shall 
we not say, Shame, shame on such selfishness? Soon it 



CONVOCATION SERMONS ld9 

will be too late to correct the wrong. Soon the night 
will come when no man can work. 

4. This principle applies to a misspent youth. Here 
is a very remarkable picture : one toiling, struggling, 
suffering for others ; the others content to quietly reap 
the benefit without effort. This presents a very striking 
picture of youth. The young, by God's providence, are 
exempt in a great measure from care and responsibility. 
Friends stand between them and the struggle for ex- 
istence. They get their bread and do not know how. 
Dear young people, now is your precious opportunity. 
It is your Gethsemane. You can imitate the apostles; 
you can sleep and suffer the opportunity to pass. You 
can let others think for you and not become thoughtful. 
You can make no preparation for the great struggle com- 
ing. If you make this mistake, after awhile you will 
wake up dazed, confounded, paralyzed. A startling point 
connected with the foregoing is that these mistakes are 
irreparable and final. Every period of life has its own 
lesson ; yoii can not learn the lesson of the present time 
next period. The failure of to-day is final. The boy 
has his lesson ; the man, his. It is unfortunate tc pass 
to manhood and not have learned certain lessons, that 
necessarily go before. Obedience, industry, reverence, 
sobriety, patience. These great lessons should be learned 
in youth. Illustrations are abundant. There is a time 
to learn arithmetic ; you can not learn it when you get to 
astronomy. The general can not learn tactics on the 
battlefield; you can not plant the seed when the harvest- 
time has come. Do not make a mistake here. May God 
help us to know the meaning of "now." "Sleep on" — 
awfur words. "Sleep on;" here lies wrapped up the seed 
of undying remorse. 

III. Finally let us consider the available future. 



200 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

Over against this let me place another great principle : 
**Arise, let us be going." 

1. Man owes it to himself and the world to be con- 
stantly rousing himself to new duty, new effort, new en- 
deavor. Christ's motto was : ''Let us be going." ''I 
must be about my Father's business." ''The Father 
hitherto works, and I work." "Work while it is called 
to-day." This is the language of earnestness. 

Yours may be a remorseful past; Christ says be sad, 
but do not despair. Rise, there is work ahead. This is 
enough to enlist our love. He will not reject us because 
we have slept. Our best hours may be spent, but he 
says : "Rise ;" prepare for the future. Blessed Saviour ! 
wx thank thee that we do not have to come with a per- 
fect life. 

2. Some may say, "Too late ; I have powers that 
can not now be developed." This may be true ; seedtime 
may be largely past; certain powers of mind and heart 
may now refuse to grow. It may be too late to begin 
that which once could have been done. Still, there is 
hope and also warning. Wake to what does remain. It 
may be too late for the best, but not too late for some- 
thing good. Ten, five, one year remains ; will you also 
waste that? Will you sleep that away? Will you not 
let Christ's voice peal down into your soul : "Rise, let us 
be going" ? 

Thank God, I am talking, for the most part, to young 
men and women, who yet have a long future before 
them. In this you may well rejoice. The great, needy 
world cries out and says, "Rise." The future cries and 
says, "Rise," be up and doing. Opportunity cries, "Rise." 
Eternity will cry louder and louder as you approach: 
"Rise, be going." Earnestness and energy are the les- 
sons here. The time is coming when you will be earnest. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 201 

Will you wait till you hear the words, ''Behold the bride- 
groom Cometh"? Will you wake to find the lamp gone 
out and hear the doors slamming after the ready per- 
sons have entered and you are left out in darkness and 
eternal despair? Will you allow procrastination to cheat 
you out of all that remains of time and thus cheat you 
out of eternity? 

Have you not wasted enough of time's precious mo- 
ments, for even the young have wasted more or less of 
their precious inheritance of time? Can you afford to 
waste another hour when you know not at what moment 
your summons may come? Will you not say: "I will 
arise and redeem the time"? If long life is before, make 
it grand and noble. 



^ 



SERMON II. 

Mother Nature: A Great Teacher 

Text. — Gen. 2:8: "And the Lord planted a garden eastward 
in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed." 

1. The question of direction is one of the most im- 
portant facts connected with man. The plane of life is 
an inclined plane, and the lines upon which men move 
run up and down, never horizontally ; therefore the ques- 
tion of direction is the one great question. Man is either 
going up or down. It is more important to know which 
way one is going than to know just where one is at any 
given time. 

2. True life is a mountain-climbing. It requires 
effort, struggle. There are precipices all along the 
journey over which the careless and unwary may tumble. 
Some one has said, ''Eternal vigilance is the price of 
liberty." This is true both in a national and in an indi- 
vidual capacity. To escape chains more galling than 
any political bonds, a man must be constantly on his 
guard. 

As a means of giving right direction to life, I desire 
to call attention to 

I. Nature as one of man's great teachers. 

I. Statistics show that a large majority of the suc- 
cessful men in all callings have been born or raised in 
the country. Some investigations have shown that 90 
per cent, of the successful men are country born and 
bred. Old Mother Earth is, after all, one of the very 
best of teachers. He is a highly favored man who keeps 

in close and sympathetic touch with nature during his 
202 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 203 

formative period. It has been said that God made the 
country, but man made the city. I am almost tempted to 
say another thing. As I have walked through the city 
and looked at the extremes everywhere to be seen — 
the rich in costly dress, with splendid equipage, liveried 
servants, moving among the rough toilers with soiled 
faces, hard, horny hands, and rough dress ; brushing up 
against the rags of the beggar ; jostling aside the hungry- 
e3^ed, sallow-cheeked unfortunates, apparently without a 
sympathetic thought — as I have seen the hard, severe, 
tmsympathetic scramble and grasping eagerness on every 
hand ; as I have seen the evidence of vice so abundant — 
men with bloated cheek, bleared eyes ; women with brazen 
faces from whom the charm of modesty had departed; 
then, as I have gone into the country, with its green 
fields, purling brooks, singing birds and springing 
flowers ; in short, as I have come amidst the surround- 
ings that inspired a Gray to write his immortal pastoral 
poem: 

"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day; 

The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea : 
The plowman homeward plods his weary way, 
And leaves the world to darkness and to me" — 

as I have seen and felt all this, I have almost been 
tempted to say, not that God made the country and man 
made the city, but that God lives in the country and 
man lives in the city. But this would be wrong. If 
there is any place that needs God more than any other 
place it is the city, and the way to send God into the city 
is to send men and women there who are full of God ; 
who have the love, sympathy, purity, energy of God in 
their hearts. And, thank the heavenly Father, notwith- 
standing the depravity and corruption of the city, there 



204 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

are as noble men and women there as can be found on 
the earth. It is, however, a significant fact that the 
majority of the noble city men are country born and 
bred. This fact is a most eloquent tribute to Mother 
Earth as a teacher, and leads us to inquire: 

II. What are some of her most valuable lessons?* 

I answer: 

I. Honest industry. The earth is not much impressed 
by strutting vanity or indolent pomposity. A man may 
dress in his broadcloth, but old Mother Earth does 
not care much for his silly vanity. She responds to 
nothing but humble toil. This is a great lesson. The 
rising man is a toiler. He must be an industrious man. 
Habits of industry are of supreme importance. 

I look with alarm upon the disposition to degrade 
physical labor. An education that lifts a young man 
above physical labor is a damage. Whatever degrades 
physical labor is a curse. This was one of the worst 
effects of chattel slavery. 

There are two tendencies in education to be deplored: 
education away from work, and education away from 
the masses. I long to see the time when it shall be con- 
sidered a part of a good education for a young person 
to have an intelligent general idea of e very-day things 
and a good practical knowledge of some useful trade. 
Here the country boy or girl has a great advantage. 
He gets a trade before he goes to college. Young people, 
do not be ashamed to work, and, above all, do not be 
ashamed of working people. I have known sons and 
daughters to be ashamed of father and mother because 
they were simple working people. 

Then, too, I want a broadening education. This 



♦Parker's "People's Bible," Genesis, pp. 138-145. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 205 

world has ever been cursed by the class spirit. An edu- 
cation that takes a man away from the people is worse 
than none. 

2. Honest equivalent. Until this is learned there is 
no solid success. Get much for little is the passion with , 
many. Small investments, large returns. The earth says, l^^ 
"No labor, no reward; much labor, large returns." Here 

is the law of solid progress. Then, too, it teaches the 
lesson of like for like. Men can not sow oats and reap 
wheat. ''Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatso- 
ever a man sows that shall he also reap." 

3. Self-control. Fitful anger makes little impression 
on the ground. By storming and raging we may frighten 
a man or a beast, but the earth will never tremble. We 
may coerce man by violence into doing our will, but we 
can not coerce the ground. 

4. Patient labor. Sow in the autumn, reap in the L^ 
summer. We may grow impatient, but nature will not 

get in a hurry. ''Learn to labor and to wait," says 
Mother Earth. Here is the condition of all solid prog- 
ress. Solid growth is always slow. 

5. Pruning and cultivation. Fruit-trees must be 
pruned in order to yield fruit. Weeds must be uprooted "^ 
or the crop will perish. Here is a great lesson. The 
pruning and weeding-out processes are necessary in 
order to secure a noble, fruitful life. Vicious habits 
must be cut ofif. Idleness, lust, laziness, carelessness, 
slovenliness, cruelty — these things must be weeded out, 

^. Receive and give. This is the true law of growth, i^ 
The plant takes that it may give. It is a greedy, hungry 
thing, but it is also a most generous thing. It freely 
gives back all it receives. 

Conclusion : The foregoing lessons well learned 
will go far to secure highest success. All true progress 



20G CONVOCATION SERMONS 

proceeds on these principles. All great lawyers, doctors, 
preachers, etc., are men of slow growth. "Hasten 
slowly" is a very wise maxim. Give the mind time to 
expand. Remember, you can not reap till you have sown 
and given the plant time to grow and come to maturity. 
"First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in 
the ear " 



SERMON III. 

The True Road to Dominion* 

Texts. — Matt. 4:8, 9 : "Again, the devil taketh him up into 
an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms 
of the world, and the glory of them ; and saith unto him. All 
these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship 
me." 

Matt, 28:16-18: "Then the eleven disciples went away into 
Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And 
when they saw him, they worshipped him : but some doubted. 
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying. All power is given 
unto me in heaven and in earth." 

There is an old adage' that the longest way around 
is the quickest way home. This contains a germ of real 
philosophy, if we have the grace to see it. The principle 
is illustrated in many ways, and nowhere more forcibly 
than in the short-cut methods adopted by many in pre- 
paring for life's work. 

I. To understand this we must first look at the 
spirit of the age and its demands. 

1. There is a spirit of restlessness, haste and mad 
impetuosity. Patient endeavor is despised. If we travel 
ten miles per hour, we want to travel twenty. If we 
make one dollar per day, we want to make two. We can 
never be satisfied. 

2. This spirit is apt to be specially strong in the 
young. Time looks long; a year looks like an age, a 
decade seems to be a century. The ardent spirits, the 
rapid flow of blood, tend to make the young" very rest- 



♦Parker's "Inner Life of Christ," pp. 309-315. 

207 



;208 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

less. Patient and long-continued effort is very distasteful 
to most young people. 

3. This spirit asserts itself at the very beginning of 
every worthy enterprise. Short-cut methods are the great 
rage everywhere and in everything. 

It is very manifest in the process of education ; there 
is a tendency to count very rigidly the time. There is a 
burning anxiety to eliminate everything that does not 
bear in the most evident and direct way on the calling 
in view. 

It asserts itself in preparing for a profession. A man 
makes up his mind to be a preacher in the morning. He 
thinks it is a duty that he owes to God and humanity to 
be in the pulpit at night. He decides to practice medicine 
to-day. He thinks he ought to be in full practice to- 
morrow. He decides on the law this week. He imagines 
he ought to be a judge in the Supreme Court next week. 
This spirit leads to hasty and inadequate preparation. 

It shows itself in winning a fortune or a name. There 
is a mad rush for wealth and place that is simply appal- 
ling. This burning desire consumes men like a fever. 
It takes all the sweetness and blessedness out of life. 

It is also present in getting ready for heaven. This 
is the day of mathematical Christianity. Many are writ- 
ing out religious equations. They would like to drive a 
sharp bargain with God. If they knew just how many 
days they had to live, they would at once go into mathe- 
matical calculation to see how many days they could 
subtract for the service of the devil. They wish to go to 
heaven by the shortest possible route. They want to 
board the train the first station this side of the grave. 

I next call attention to 

II. The popular method of catering to this spirit 
and of meeting its demands. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 209 

1. The hotbed process is very common. There are 
hotbeds for growing teachers, preachers, lawyers and 
doctors. Patent processes, labor-saving appliances, short 
cuts, and late and startling discoveries, are the order of 
the day. Some things can be grown successfully in hot- 
beds ; for instance, flowers, shrubs, certain vegetables, but 
some things can not be grown in that way. Oak-trees, 
fruit-trees, fields of golden grain, can not be grown by 
the hotbed process. Things that are used merely to sup- 
plement or add to the useful and essential can be grown 
in a hot-house. A buttonhole bouquet can be grow^n in a 
hot-house, but not the coat on which you pin it. A 
radish, but not the bread and butter and meat. Decide 
what you wish to be, and then I will tell you the place to 
go for your education. You can always tell how the man 
has been produced by his size and texture. 

2. The falsely called utilitarian process is popular 
with some. Many are disposed to reject everything that 
can not be directly and immediately turned to account. 
Do not study Greek or mathematics, some say. Study 
what you are going to use is the popular notion. The 
folly of this would appear if we would apply the prin- 
ciple to the lower material world. Why do we eat food? 
To get flesh, bones, sinews, strength. The food must be 
digested, assimilated, changed. It is never used in the 
form in which it is received. It must be transformed, 
and this takes time. 

3. The bribery process is not uncommon. A man will 
get rich quickly by dishonest methods and bribe his con- 
science by endowing a college. Some will defer their 
duty to God or omit what is clearly enjoined and offer 
something as a substitute. 

III. The divine way of reaching the goal is very 
clear. There are two mountain scenes in Christ's life 



210 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

that give us the divine method of attaining unto do- 
minion when placed side by side. 

I. Let us study the first mountain scene and its les- 
sons. Satan first appeared to Christ and proposed the 
short-cut method. He suggested that great things could 
be had on easy terms. "Command stones to be made 
bread." He in effect said, Take the short way. The long- 
way requires time, labor, patience. ''Cast thyself down." 
Get glory or notoriety on easy terms and by a very short 
road. Christ refused, and in this we may learn two 
things. There is a right way and a wrong way, and it 
never pays to abandon the right way and seek the goal 
by a short cut, for the reason you will not reach it. 
Then Satan offered the short-cut road to distinction, 
which Christ refused. From this we may learn that 
power should be held and exercised with reference to the 
accomplishment of the end for which it was given. Satan 
offered great good on appearently easy conditions. 
Satan also offered dominion for an act of worship. He 
showed Christ all the kingdoms of the world, and said : 
"All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down 
and worship me." Men would reason, "Why not accept 
it? See what good he could do if he had dominion," but 
Christ also rejected this offer. He went down from the 
mountain to toil, suffering, hunger, privation. Soon he 
said: "The foxes have holes, and the birds have nests, 
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." 
Men might say he threw away a great chance for mere 
sentiment. As time advances, the case does not seem to 
get better. Even God semed to have forsaken this man 
who sacrificed an empire for a sentiment. Shadows 
thicken ; his friends drop off ; his enemies triumph. He 
dies without an empire, apparently. The cross seems to 
be the natural goal of such a course. See, now, says the 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 211 

advocate for short-cut methods, He was an impractical 
sentimentahst. The fact is, if death is man's goal, the 
short-cut method is right. If I am to die to-morrow, 
better get what I can to-day. But suppose I am to live 
forever ! Ah ! that alters the case. Notice, also, that 
Satan's offer was a deceptive one. Easy terms, did you 
say? They could not be harder. Read again: **A11 these 
things will I give, if you will fall down and worship." 
That is a hard bargain. When one worships he gives 
his all. He puts a monarch on the throne. "I will give 
you dominion for worship." Yes, I will make you a little 
king if you will make me supreme king. What profit is 
it if I do have a dollar if some one owns me? Then, too, 
how debasing is worship at a wrong altar. We become 
like the thing we worship. To worship the devil is to 
become a little devil. It seems to debase the affections. 
It means to surrender all power. 

2. I hasten to place by the side of this a second moun- 
tain scene, which is necessary in order to complete the 
picture and reveal to us the true road to dominion. 

"But the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into 
the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And 
when they saw him, they worshipped him : but some 
doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 
All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on 
earth." 

This is just what Satan offered Christ on the 
first mountain. Nay, it is vastly more. Satan offered 
dominion over one world ; now says Christ : 'T have 
dominion over all worlds." How thrilling this must have 
been to the eleven disciples. They had seen him in his 
humility and suflfering. They had been with him through 
the toil and labor and danger. They had seen the grave 
close upon him. That had seemed the end of all hope. 



212 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

Now, on the other side of the grave, they hear him say: 
''All authority in heaven and on earth hath been given 
unto me." Notice also who gave this authority. Satan 
offered authority over this world ; God gave Him author- 
ity over heaven and earth. 

Note well the steps in this majestic progress. Right 
in the beginning of his career a great offer came to him. 
Accept dominion for an act of worship. Take the short 
cut was the proposition made. He rejected the offer and 
came down into the valley. Men looked upon him as a 
fanatic, an impractical enthusiast. He went into the 
grave dishonored. Out of apparent defeat he comes forth 
the greatest conqueror the world has ever seen. Now he 
stands on another mountain and says : "All authority in 
heaven and on earth is given unto me." 

3. Note the fact that between these two mountains 
there is a deep valley of toil, humility and suffering. The 
road to the second mountain lies through this. This is 
a typical, representative picture. To every one Satan 
says. Take the short cut. Get in an hour, by prostituting 
your power, what otherwise may not come in a year. 
Accept dominion at the price of worship paid to the evil 
and the bad. To listen to this seductive voice is treason 
to the soul. There is no road to dominion except through 
the valley. It is a long, dreary, dusty road. There are 
rivers to be crossed and precipices to be scaled and 
dangers to be met and enemies to be overcome. But 
the Bible says : "To him that overcometh will I give to 
eat of the tree of life." 

4. To this first mountain every one will come. You 
want an education ; Satan says, "Take the short cut." 
You want a profession ; Satan says, "Take the short cut." 
Many think heaven and hell lie almost in the same direc- 
tion, and that they can run on the broad gauge that leads 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 213 

to hell and switch oft" on the narrow gauge at the last 
station and reach heaven. He who listens to this never 
stands on the second mountain. You must come down 
from the first mountain into the valley, before you will 
ever ascend to the second mountain. 
IV. Practical lessons. 

1. There is a right way to reach every desired good. 
It is not true that it makes no difference how you get 
there, if only you succeed. Illustrations are many. A 
man may excite his physical organism by artificial means. 
Or he may stimulate his mind to a remarkable degree by 
means of certain drugs. Some have made brilliant 
speeches under the influence of opium. This is not 
dominion. It is a temporary victory that will be followed 
by irretrievable ruin. This shows us that appearances 
are often deceptive. Take in the whole field of vision 
before you dare to pass judgment. 

2. We may learn from this that everything good has 
its legitimate price, and it can not be had on any other 
terms. Satan may make deceptive offers, but it is all a 
delusion and a snare. All great life is the outgrowth of 
discipline, and you can not have the life without the dis- 
cipline. 

3. It is also clearly shown that whatever is worth 
much costs much. ''Quid pro quo'' is a doctrine of God's 
moral universe. 

4. Virtue comes to its reward in the long run and 
not in the short run. Sorrows will become joys in the 
long run. Sacrifices will be turned to victories in God's 
good time. We must reject the cheap crown if we 
would wear God's crown of true victory. 



SERMON IV. 

The Necessary Conditions o£ a True Education 

Text. — i Thess. 5 : 23 : "And the God of peace himself 
sanctify you wholly ; and may your spirit and ' soul and body 
be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." 

Macknight translates : ''And may your whole person 
—the spirit and the soul and the body — ^be preserved un- 
blamable unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Some hold that this phrase, spirit, soul and body, is 
an expression of universality for the whole man without 
reference to the constituent parts entering into his com- 
plex organism, while others see in it an analysis of man. 
The latter hold that the "spirit" (pneuma) is the highest 
part of man ; the distinctive feature embracing the higher 
faculties, such as intellect, reason, sensibilities and will ; 
that part whereby man is receptive of the Holy Spirit. 
The "soul" (psuche) is the lower animal soul embracing 
the passions and desires, which we have m common with 
the brutes. Also the intellectual side as distinguished 
from the spiritual is thus designated. The body is purely 
the material part. 

From the earliest times it has been the custom to 
treat of man as a trinity, and some recent authorities, 
notably Dr. Hudson, treat of man as body, objective 
mind and subjective mind, the latter being the soul, or 
the part capable of immortality and possessing wonderful 
powers over the body and being under the control of 
suggestion, either from the objective mind of the indi- 
dividual or from the mind of another telepathically com- 
municated or by means of speech. 

214 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 215 

1. In any view of the text, whether it be interpreted 
in a general or analytical sense, I discover here a striking 
peculiarity of Christianity ; namely, to always take the 
largest possible view of the subject with which it deals. 
Christianity despises narrow views of things. Whenever 
you hear a man contending for little, trivial, inconse- 
quential things, in doctrine or practice, you can rest 
assured that he has never been a partaker of the Chris- 
tian spirit. A man may even be very punctilious in his 
religion and yet be very unchristian. Jesus brought the 
charge against the Pharisees : "You pay tithes of mint, 
anise and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of 
the law." 

2. Jesus always laid hold of the largest and noblest 
terms in human speech in which to couch his great 
thoughts. *'If any man thirst." **The Son of man came 
to seek and save the lost." "What man having a hun- 
dred sheep if one be lost will not go and seek until he 
find it?" "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel 
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall 
be saved." And so the list might be multiplied, express- 
ing universality, perseverance and fullest service. 

3. The apostles finally caught the idea. John says: 
''In him was life, and his life was the Hght of men." 
Peter said: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no re- 
specter of persons : but in every nation he that fears God, 
and vv^orks righteousness, is acceptable to him." Paul 
said: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it 
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." In 
the Book of Revelation the final vision is most inspiring: 
"And they [the redeemed] sung a new song, saying. 
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals 
thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to 

(8) 



216 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
people, and nation." And the final great invitation is: 
"The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that 
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. 
And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life 
freely." 

4. If there is anything out of place most sadly, it is 
narrowness in the church of Christ. I fear that the 
fashion of the church is getting woefully out of harmony 
with the Christ spirit. We have churches for the rich 
and churches for the poor, churches for the classes and 
for the masses. All this is unchristian — nay, I will say,, 
antichristian. 

5. How harmonious is the text with the whole Chris- 
tian spirit and system. ''May your spirit and soul and 
body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming 
of our Lord Jesus Christ." The view is intensive as 
well as extensive. Both views are necessary: general 
and particular. The Christian view is general : "Go ye 
into all the world." It is also particular ; it never loses 
sight of the little, out-of-the-way places : ''The isles shall 
wait for his law." Nay, more, it never loses sight of the 
individual man ; and, in contemplating the individual, 
everything pertaining to him, everything that goes to 
make up his complicated personality, is sacred in its eyes. 
The whole man is stamped with Divine approval. 

If this text be taken in a general sense, as indicative 
of the whole man, how important it becomes. It seems 
to throw over this whole complex being the sanctity of 
the divine benediction. If taken in an analytical sense, its 
value is enhanced, inasmuch as we can reach the general 
by the reverse synthetic process and thereby gain the 
clearness of vision resulting from accuracy of observa- 
tion. In any case, it is a text for every young person 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 217 

just facing the problem of education and culture to 
ponder long and deeply. In its realization the largest 
possible good, the highest possible destiny, is attained. 

I gather, then, from this text as a general subject for 
this discourse: "The Necessary Conditions of a True 
Education." 

I. I regard it as essential, first of all, that we obtain 
a correct notion of what a true man is. 

1. This seems to be almost axiomatic. Otherwise we 
labor at random. This is necessary in order to intelligent 
workmanship. He who, does not know what he is trying 
to make, will be very apt to make nothing. God in the be- 
ginning said : ''Let us make man." Now he comes to each 
one and says : ''Let us make man." Nor is it sufficient 
to simply know the name of the thing. A blacksmith 
could not make a horsehoe simply because he might know 
the name. He must know how it looks and how it is 
discriminated from other things. Then, too, things are 
liable to be wrongly named. The tag may have been 
misplaced. You can not always tell that you are looking 
at a man because the object has the form of a man. It 
may be a piece of marble statuary or the equivalent. It 
may be only a dummy you are looking at, useful as an 
object on which to fit clothes. It may be a swine or a 
serpent. When you come to analyze some of these ob- 
jects there is such a woful lack of the nobler qualities 
that ought to enter into the real man that you are 
tempted to turn away in disgust. 

2. The failure of educational systems gives emphasis 
to the necessity of understanding the composition of the 
complex creature called man. Back of all educational 
systems is an analysis of man, either true or false. 
Savage tribes have a form of education. The Indian boy 
is subjected to a rigid training. It is largely confined to 



218 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

the body. Physical courage 1= also taught. Indifference 
to physical pain is insistea upon Ancient Greece 
furnishes us with an example of a higher education. 
Greece thought she knew what was in man, but, if she 
did, she failed to provide for all of his wants. She 
attended principally to his intellect and body. It has been 
reserved for Christianity to offer the highest form of 
education the world has ever seen. She begins with the 
highest and noblest part of man — his spirit — and provides 
for it the fullest possible way. She says that it is neces- 
sary that this spirit should be married to the Divine Spirit 
by which we are made partakers of the divine nature. 
Under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit the 
human spirit in all of its complex powers is unfolded, 
strengthened, developed, until its highest possibilities are 
realized. The intellect is quickened, the sensibilities are 
ennobled and purified and the will strengthened. How 
admirable to see an acute, well-trained intellect combined 
with pure, noble feeling and all fortified with a strong, 
vinbending will. How sad to see a great intellect asso- 
ciated with vicious tastes and feelings and all at the 
mercy of every shifting current for lack of a dominant 
will. A man with no heart power! Better be a brute 
without intellect. A man with no will power ! Better be 
an unthinking log drifting down the current of the great 
river, for the end will then come without a pang of 
regret. Then there would be no remorse, no unavailing 
tears, no bitter wailings of disappointed friends. 

But, when this is done, is all done? By no means. 
The apostle prays that soul as well as spirit may be pre- 
served blameless. We have now descended from the 
distinctive realm of man to that which he holds, in part 
at least, with the lower orders of beings. We have come 
into the domain of physical appetites, passions and pro- 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 219 

pensities ; but Christianity does not abandon this realm to 
chaos and disorder. It lays its sanctifying hands on these 
baser things and seeks to purify and ennoble. Paul said: 
''I keep my body under." Christianity says, curb appetite 
and passion. Do not allow these baser things to become 
your master. Oh, what a sad thing to see a man, created 
in the divine image, the slave of appetite and lust! 
Christianity sees the man destroying his body and spirit 
by uncurbed appetite and unbridled lust, and says, "It 
is my mission to save that man from this awful thrall- 
dom ;" and, although spurned, mocked, derided, despised, 
it labors on with faith and hope until the end is accom- 
plished or the opportunity gone. Young people, no one 
is educated who is a slave to appetite. 

Is this the end? Ah, no! It takes hold of this 
physical body, this mold of earth, and seeks, through 
fullest development, to make it a perfect instrument for 
the spirit's use. Strange to say, there are some professed 
Christians who have not time to take care of the body. 
Such was not the conception of a Paul, from whom our 
text is quoted. 

II. I would next call attention to the necessity of 
making a noble choice. 

I. It is important to ever keep in mind that you will 
never succeed by mere accident. If you get anywhere, 
you must start, and this necessitates choice. You have 
it in your power to determine the plane on which you 
w411 walk. You can live in dismal swamps or on the 
high, airy, sun-bathed, wind-swept plains, or even on the 
mountain-tops. You can inhale the poison that enervates 
and destroys, or drink in the invigorating ozone found 
in pure moral atmosphere — that which stimulates to high 
moral purpose and noble achievement. You can descend 
into a damp, noisome, narrow cellar, or you can live in 



220 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

the best room in the palace. This is pre-eminently a day 
for choice. What shall it be ? 

2. Also bear in mind that nothing can hinder your 
upward march except yourself. Do not hesitate because 
of environment. Perhaps you may say: 'T am too poor 
to undertake great things." Poverty is no necessary bar- 
rier. You can rise above it and, in rising, gain strength 
you would otherwise never attain. More men have been 
blessed by poverty than by wealth. You may say social 
position is against you. So it has been against some of 
earth's most illustrious heroes. Social position is not 
generally accorded to the poor man, howsoever virtuous 
he may be, but often the glitter of gold opens the doors 
of the so-called upper classes to even the moral leper. 
I declare it as my conviction that more have been cursed 
by so-called social position than have been cursed for 
lack of it. You may say you have inherited vicious ten- 
dencies and that therefore it is no use to try. Is this 
your sober conviction? Are you consciously powerless 
in the presence of this monster dragon of heredity, or 
rather are you not conscious that you have power to slay 
it as Samson slew the lion? Then, too, bear in mind 
that heredity is not all on the side of evil. How much 
of good impulse or tendency have you inherited? If it 
were possible to strike a balance between these subtle 
influences, perhaps in every case the advantage would 
appear on the side of good. Cursed by environment or 
heredity ? No ; a thousand times, no. You can capture 
the guns of this enemy if you will, and turn them against 
your foe. These very things which now terrify you, 
when once you rise above them, will become great 
granite boulders to support the noble character you 
have buih. Paul said: "All things work together for 
good to them that love God." That means poverty, 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 221 

environment, heredity — all things, if you will have it so. 
III. The next important thing is that you observe 
the necessary conditions on which your choice may be 
realized. 

1. Take time to make ample preparation. No real 
greatness is the result of an accident. You can not leap 
into greatness. You can not fly up to positions of prom- 
inence. You must rear the great structure of a noble 
life by first laying the foundations broad and deep. All 
this requires time. Haste has defeated many a man. 
Young people, remember that the years you spend in 
preparation will be your most valuable years. 

2. Eat the right kind of food. This applies to your 
studies. Do not try to eliminate all hard things from 
your course and do not despise elementary things. This 
applies next to the books you read. You can not take 
time to read some books, and if you did you would be 
cursed and not blessed. A few good books well read are 
worth vastly more than many books hastily read and 
poorly digested. You should select your books as care- 
fully as you would your physical food. This applies, 
also, to the companionships you form. Never associate 
with a corrupt-minded, foul-mouthed person. It is more 
dangerous than to make your home in the lions' den. 

3. Hold yourself a debtor for everything you get. 
Render just equivalent for everything you receive. Re- 
member that the growing process is not complete until 
you have paid your debt by a just return for every good 
thing that may have come to you. 

4. Be industrious. Learn to set high value on time. 
Do not waste it in frivolity. Remember, too, that little 
odds and ends of time have priceless value. Time is 
;generally wasted by wasting its moments. 

5. Be systematic. Do not do things at random. 



222 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

Have rules for work and make circumstances bend to 
them. This involves the habit of punctuality. Do not 
try to make the world wait on you. March in front of 
the procession. 

6. Be brave. Everybody loves the brave man. Have 
courage to make any sacrifice necessary to success. It 
is hard to break away from home and friends and loved 
ones, but it must be done, and your friends are proud of 
you for the effort. Have courage to espouse the cause 
of right, as you see it, against any opposition. He who 
is not true to himself can not be true to any man. 

7. Do not surrender a great future for a small 
present. Esau, who sold his birthright for a mess of 
pottage, did this. How many Esaus there are in the 
world. How many will jeopardize a great future for a 
very small present. For the pleasure of an hour, a lesson 
will be sacrificed. For a moment's indulgence of appe- 
tite, the great future is thrown away. Rather than give- 
up home and its pleasure and holy associations, whicli 
must be done in most cases very soon anyhow, many- 
will sacrifice the opportunity of getting an education^ 
He who does this sells his birthright for a mess of pot- 
tage. 

8. Above all, have faith and hope and love. Faith is 
the eye that sees in the darkness. Hope furnishes the 
wings upon which the spirit rises to noblest heights. 
Love is the power that takes away the bitterness of life 
and sweetens every labor, and fills the world with glad- 
ness and sunshine. 

"I pray God that your whole spirit, soul and body be 
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord." 



SERMON V. 

Successful Life: Its Crises, Its Hindrances, Its 

Helps 

Texts. — Zech. 4:10: "For who hath despised the day of 
small things?" 

John 12 : 27 : "Now is my soul troubled ; and what shall I 
say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came 
I unto this hour." 

I. Many appear here for the first time in their lives, 
hut your coming indicates a great and worthy purpose, 
and for this we are glad. You have come to a very 
sacred place, because here great things have transpired. 
Here, things have been accomplished that have and are 
■exerting a mighty influence for good in the great outside 
w^orld. Year by year young people have been coming to 
this place, and here they have received impressions that 
have not only determined in large measures their own 
lives, but have had indirectly much to do in shaping 
the destiny of thousands who never saw this institution. 
Many have come here and lingered for a brief time and 
then have gone out to do their part in this great, busy 
world, and to do it in a stronger way than would have 
been possible had they been denied the benefits and bless- 
ings they here received. It is a great inspiration to 
Icnow that here they were made nobler, stronger, better 
for the earnest, serious work of life. Young people, here 
you may receive inspirations, impulses, aspirations, that 
will find expression in blessed service that shall make 
this world brighter and happier. Here you may receive 
such strength and be so fortified that you may be able 

223 



224 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

to withstand all the machinations of evil and the fierce 
temptations that might otherwise sweep you into the vor- 
tex of eternal ruin. 

2. The event of entering upon college life constitutes 
an epoch in the life of a young person. The whole 
future life will, in a measure, be determined by it. It 
is therefore a peculiarly fitting time to receive hints and 
suggestions as to how to get the most out of this oppor- 
tunity and thus out of the whole future life. As sug- 
gestive of lines of thought that I wish to pursue, I have 
selected the two passages read. I am led to observe that 

I. Crises, or determining periods, are discoverable 
in inanimate and animate nature. 

1. Physical phenomena furnish numerous illustra- 
tions. Sometimes in time of storm there seems to be a 
momentary lull, as if nature were hanging in the balance. 
You are in doubt as to whether the fury of the tempest 
has been spent or whether it will break out again in 
greater violence. We are told the same phenomenon is 
witnessed in time of earthquakes. The commotion sub- 
sides temporarily, and men are left in dread or fear, not 
knowing whether the peril has passed or whether still 
greater danger awaits them. Volcanoes in time of ac- 
tivity have quiescent periods, as if nature herself was in 
doubt as to the course she would pursue. 

2. Animate life abounds in striking examples of the 
same phenomenon. This even is manifested in the irra- 
tional world. Trees seem to linger between life and 
death. The same is true of the physical body. With the 
national life we still witness the same phenomenon. Em- 
pires tremble in the balance between life and death, and 
even individual life reveals these periods of uncertainty. 
It is said that Washington at one time had decided to run 
away to sea. Accidentally he heard his mother praying 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 225 

for him, and he abandoned his purpose. By the prayer 
of a mother accidentally heard, the fate of a great 
nation was determined. Young Garfield, returning from 
work on the canal, stood outside the door and heard 
his mother's voice lifted in prayer for him. This de- 
termined his future life. This accidental circumstance 
doubtless gave to the nation a great statesman and a 
President. 

3. Some of these determining circumstances are ap- 
parently accidental, as we have just seen. A lecture may 
turn the whole course of life. A conversation with a 
friend may determine the man's future. The reading of 
a book may produce great and lasting effects for good 
or evil. Even the spelling of a word, the punctuation 
of a sentence, the folding of a letter, may determine the 
question of success or failure. Many a man has lost a 
great opening for service by carelessness in these little 
duties. 

4. We have an example of a crisis moment in the 
history of Christ brought out in one of our texts. ''What 
shall I say. Father, save me from this hour? But for 
this cause came I unto this hour." Christ seems to be 
weighing the question in the balance. For a moment he 
seems to waver between two courses of conduct, but 
almost instantly the decision is reached, as shown by 
the words, "For this cause came I unto this hour." This 
fact suggests a great duty that devolves upon every one ; 
namely, to pray for strength for crucial moments. These 
are the moments that test the soul. It is not simply for 
the ordinary duties of life that we are to pray, but for 
the extreme occasions. It is not for the milder forms of 
temptation that we are to get ready, but for the hard, 
severe test that comes sometimes when we least ex- 
pect it. 



226 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

I am next impressed with the fact that 
II. Preparation is necessary in order to meet suc- 
cessfully the crises of life. 

1. There is a great physical preparation needed. 
Under the strain of work you may suddenly and in a 
most unexpected manner break down. There may come 
a sudden collapse. It is therefore your duty to guard 
against this. You should develop the body, strengthen 
the weak points by judicious exercise, husband your 
vital forces. Do not waste it in dissipation. Refrain 
from forming habits that sap the strength. The tobacco 
habit, the alcohol habit, the use of narcotics in any form, 
are all injurious. They dissipate the energies, undermine 
the power of resistance, and leave a man defenceless at 
the crucial moment. 

2. Intellectual preparation needed: You must secure 
toughness of mental fiber. You must develop and dis- 
cipline your powers. Education is not simply gathering 
facts. It is discipline. It is the bringing of the powers 
of the mind into subjection to the will. 

Here let me say that the will is the executive function. 
It is the police power in the soul. It is the chief magis- 
trate elected by God to execute the laws of being. It is 
fatal to put the sensibilities on the throne. It is wrong 
to suppose that even Judgment is king. Judgment is the 
judicial function. Feeling prompts, Judgment decides, 
and Will executes. The will is therefore the kingly 
power of the mind. 

This is the reason some never get an education. 
Their judgment is right, their feelings are right, but 
they lack will power. Some never do anything worthy 
for the same reason. 

It is one function of education to place Will on the 
throne as the chief executive. Whatever weakens the 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 227 

will is of incalculable injury. Stimulants and narcotics 
do this, and should hence be avoided. 

3. There is a heart preparation that is vital. The 
world needs men of heart power. It needs men of tender 
conscience. Many a man has betrayed a sacred trust 
because he was weak at this point. There is nothing 
more important than to strengthen the moral powers. 
Never lie ; never steal ; never use profanity. Students 
may lie and steal by cheating in the classroom. Never 
be betrayed into committing this fault. Never try to ride 
on the cars without paying your fare. Little dishonesties 
are an index to character. Remember, too, that to dis- 
charge the duties we owe to God, lays the foundation for 
the highest morality. He who is untrue to God will be 
untrue to man, and vice versa. 

We are naturally to consider : 

III. The hindrances to successful life. 

1. The tendency to neglect small opportunities and to 
disregard little things is very common. There is a ten- 
dency among many to seek to do great things, and things 
that look small are despised. The more I study Hfe, the 
more I am convinced that there are no small things. All 
things are great if done in a great way. 

2. The tendency to become discouraged over difficul- 
ties is characteristic of some. Obstacles look very large 
and have a detrimental influence. As a rule, a man's best 
friends are the obstacles he meets. Then, too, obstacles 
in the distance look greater than when we get close to 
them. 

3. The tendency to walk by sight is well-nigh uni- 
versal. Many a young man has been deterred from 
undertaking great things because he could not see his 
way clear to the very end. How often we hear the 
words : *T can not see mv wav clear." Some hesitate to 



228 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

begin religious life because they can not see their way to 
the end. Some hesitate to begin a course of study for 
the same reason. It is the one who walks by faith that 
accomplishes great things. 

4. The tyranny of the present holds many in bondage. 
It is hard for some to give up an agreeable present for 
an uncertain future. Present ease and comfort, present 
pleasures, outweigh prospective benefits. Present re- 
wards, even though small, will not be surrendered for 
promises of much larger. 

IV. Finally we are led to name a few of the con- 
ditions of success. 

1. Faith: A man who has set before him a worthy 
work may safely trust in God for help whenever the 
hour of extremity comes. God never calls a man to great 
service simply to mock or disappoint him A word of 
caution is, however, necessary. Never trust to God, or 
to any one else, when you can trust to yourself. God 
has put some things within your reach. Your arm is long 
enough and strong enough to do some things. Do not 
disparage or belittle the powers God has given you. Put 
forth your best effort, then trust in God. 

2. Courage: It takes a brave man to succeed in this 
world. It requires bravery to break away from home 
and friends. It requires courage to enter the lists in the 
great competitive struggle of life. It requires courage 
to take the side of unpopular right in opposition to pop- 
ular wrong. It requires courage to be a true man every- 
where and always. 

3. Industry: The most absolutely worthless man is a 
lazy man. All the labor spent upon him is lost. A 
lazy dog may be of some value. A lazy horse is of some 
account. His hide may be of use when he is dead. 
Not so of a lazy man. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 229 

4. Honesty : Young man, forever disabuse your mind 
of the thought that you can get a permanent advantage 
by dishonesty. You rob yourself by every dishonest act. 
There is no surer road to success than the path of 
honesty. The world mants honest men. 

5. Perseverance : There are two supreme questions : 
First, which way are you going? Second, How long 
will you continue? Many can not hold out faithful to 
the end, even though they start right. This spells failure. 

6. Unsatisfaction : This does not mean dissatisfaction. 
There is nothing to be more deplored than that. On the 
other hand, satisfaction is a great misfortune. It means 
lack of purpose, lack of effort. It is unsatisfaction which 
is the parent of aspiration and desire. This is a grap- 
pling-hook that takes hold of the very throne of Grod. 
For the unsatisfied man the wealth of the future is wait- 
ing. I close with the language of John: "It doth not 
yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he 
shall appear we shall be like him when we shall see him 
as he is." 



SERMON VI. 

The Danger to Be Avoided and the Good to Be 
Desired by the Youn^ 

Texts. — Jer. 17:7, 8: "Blessed is the man that trusteth in 
the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a 
tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by 
the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall 
be green ; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither 
shall cease from yielding fruit." 

Ps. 144:11, 12: "Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of 
strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right 
hand is a right hand of falsehood : that our sons may be as 
plants grown up in their youth ; that our daughters may be as 
corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace." 

Introduction: The word of God abounds in appeals 
and warnings to the young. ''Remember thy Crea- 
tor in the days of thy youth." "My child, give me thy 
heart." ''Bring up a child in the way he should go." 
''Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart 
cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the 
ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes : but 
know thou that for all these things God will bring thee 
into judgment." 

This appeal of the Bible to the youn^ is a very won- 
derful and very suggestive fact. Why should the Bible 
appeal so strongly to the young ? I answer : First, be- 
cause of the possibilities of youth. Second, because of 
the susceptibility of youth ; the soil of the heart has not 
been chilled and hardened by the storms and tempests of 
sin. Third, because of the dangers of youth ; nearly 

230 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 231 

every trap of Satan is baited for the young, and hence 
they stand in imminent peril. 

I am thus led to consider : 

I. The supreme duty that we owe to the young. 

It is our duty : 

1. To make the religious factor in education especially 
prominent. The young must be strongly fortified re- 
ligiously and morally. One of the greatest evils of the 
present day is the carelessness of parents and teachers 
on this point. They go on the assumption that the head 
is everything, the heart nothing. There is also a dispo- 
sition to pay a bonus for recklessness, to lionize the wild 
and prodigal. Even young ladies will sometimes do this, 
and very often to their great sorrow in after life. 

2. To guard the young as far as possible from the 
contagion of bad example. The young have a special 
instinct for imitation. This is shown by the fact that 
young children try to do everything they see done. This 
fact suggests the importance of the right kind of asso- 
ciations. One can ruin many, and this sad fact is of 
frequent occurrence. There should be a warning to the 
young in all this. Whoever yields to these contaminating 
influence is lost. Desire for mental culture is taken 
away, desire for the good opinion of others vanishes, and 
self-respect is destroyed. Let no one therefore fail to 
set a good example. Here is a matter of supreme im- 
portance that is sadly overlooked by many. 

3. To remove temptations from the path of the 
young. We owe it to the young to abolish the saloon, the 
great moral pesthouse of the nation. The gambling-den, 
the brothel and other demoralizing agencies proclaim our 
criminal neglect. The average age in some penitentiaries 
is only twenty-four years, which shows the dangers be- 
setting the young, many of which exist by the permission 



232 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

and even the votes of Christian men. Another impera- 
tive duty should here be mentioned. We should frown 
upon the tendency to desecrate the Lord's Day. Here is 
3 growing evil that is truly alarming, and the evil effects 
are open to the eyes of all. Why should Christian people 
tolerate this monster iniquity with apparent indifference? 
Where lies the explanation of this strange thing? 

4. To pray earnestly for the moral protection of the 
young. We will never do our duty toward the young 
until we begin to pray for them. This will open our eyes 
as nothing else will do. We go to the prison to pray for 
the criminal; let us begin sooner. We often put off our 
prayers too long. I once read of a young man in prison 
who said to his visitors : "If you had shown me as much 
attention when I was innocent, as you do now, I would 
never have been here." What a terrible rebuke that was. 
It should have caused his sympathizers to blush with 
shame. 

I notice next: 

II. The evil to be avoided by the young. 

I. Avoid being "strange children." This may have 
meant, in David's view, the children of foreigners, who 
are idolaters ; or it may have meant the children of 
vicious parents who had been corrupted by bad example ; 
or it may have meant the wicked children of pious 
parents, for he certainly is a strange child who can dis- 
regard the example of a good father and mother. He, 
too, is a strange child who will not shun the example of 
a bad father, or who shuts his eyes to the sacrifices of 
kind parents and friends, or who closes his eyes to the 
appeals and prayers of loving parents. And certainly he 
is a strange child who wastes golden opportunities so 
lavishly offered in an age like this. David may have re- 
ferred to aliens, but doubtless he was worried and per- 



CONVOCATIOX SERMONS 233 

plexed by the same kinds of strange children we have 
to-day. 

2. Avoid what is called "vanity" in the text: "Whose 
mouth speaketh vanity." This literally means emptiness. 
Empty words, empty heads and empty hearts. Alas ! this 
is the condition of many. This is invariably accompanied 
by frivolity, which is as pernicious as poison. I do not 
undervalue the importance of proper amusement, but let 
me give you a safe rule : Shun everything that destroys 
taste for the solid and substantial. 

3. Avoid falsehood. "Whose right hand is a right 
hand of falsehood." This means, first, speaking lies. It 
also means acting lies, which is more common, but not 
less immoral and pernicious. 

I notice next : 

III. The good to be desired. "That our sons may 
be as plants grow^n up in their youth ; that our daugh- 
ters may be as corner stones, polished after the sim- 
ilitude of a palace." 

1. There is here the idea of beauty. A garden is a 
very beautiful thing with its flowers as they open to the. 
sun. A tree is very beautiful with its blossom: and fruit. 
David makes all this emblematic of young life. There 
should be no weeds, no stunted, unthrifty trees to offend 
our eyes, than which there is no sadder sight. 

2. There is here the idea of vitality. A tree only lives 
while it grows. So with the soul intellectually and mor- 
ally. It is every one's duty to grow and no one should be 
satisfied otherwise. 

3. There is here the idea of strength, and, strange to 
say, it is suggested in connection with the daughters. 
"That our daughters may be as corner stones." Woman 
is in truth the pillar of support. She can hold up the 
structure of society. No society can be stronger than its 



234 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

women ; and, please God, the day is at hand when she 
will be a support in the state. May it not be that this 
is the factor needed to purify our political life? 

She should be a pillar bodily and intellectually as well 
as morally, and the true education will recognize this 
fact. 

I speak in the last place of : 

IV. The manner of acquiring the good. 

If I were called upon to define progress, I would say, 
''Progress is the acquirement of strength to fulfill the 
high ends of being." 

1. This means first of all that the eating process must 
receive attention. Do not be in too great a hurry. You 
can not eat enough to make a man in one meal. Take 
time. Some say, "I have no time." How long do you 
expect to live ? Ten years ? Then, take five to get ready. 
Some may say, *T have no money." This man has my 
profoundest sympathy, but still do not be discouraged. 
Methods of eating are also very important. Never be 
ashamed to ask and take advice from a humble source. 
Cultivate the habit of reading good books. Cultivate the 
habit of thinking. Thought is assimilation. Seek right 
companionship. The morally good should be cultivated. 

2. This means also that the matter of exercise should 
receive attention. The tree does not eat for itself, but for 
the sake of fruitfulness, for the sake of giving. God's 
law is that growth shall be dependent on exercise to a 
large extent. You can not produce a strong body by eat- 
ing, no more can you secure a strong mind. You must 
work. You must give out something. All this is based 
on the nature of the soul. The more the soul receives, 
the more it holds ; the more it gives, the more it has. 
The Iliad did not exhaust the mind of Homer, nor "Par- 
adise Lost" the mind of Milton. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 235 

There is also a sphere for giving; the world needs 
what you have. 

"There are lonely hearts to cherish, 

While the days are going by; 

There are weary souls who perish, 

While the days are going by. 

"If a smile we can renew, 
As our journey we pursue. 
Oh, the good we all may do 
As the days are gDing by. 

"There's no time for idle scorning, 

As the days are going by; 
Let your face be like the morning. 
As the days are going by. 

"Oh, the world is full of sighs, 
Full of sad and weeping eyes ; 
Help your fallen brother rise, 
As the days are going by." 



SERMON VII. 

Knowledge and Its Logical Sequence^ 

Text. — Matt. 13 : 51-58 : "Have ye understood all these 
things? They say unto him, Yea. And he said unto them, 
Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the 
kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, 
who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. And 
it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he de- 
parted thence. And coming into his own country he taught them 
in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and 
said. Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty 
works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called 
Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and 
Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then 
hath this man all these things? And they were offended in 
him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, 
save in his own country, and in his own house." 

1. I deem this subject appropriate for young people 
engaged in the pursuit of knov^ledge. Knowledge is 
never an end in itself. It has a logical sequence that 
should not be overlooked. What should come after 
knowledge? To answer this question is the purpose of 
this sermon. 

2. All the things that Jesus said to men were meant 
to be understood. There are some who think obscurity 
indicates profundity. This is a great mistake ; muddy 
v/ater is not necessarily deep. Some approach the Bible 
with the idea that it is a mysterious book, and some even 
try to mystify that which is perfectly clear. We should 



*For some of the thoughts in this sermon I am indebted to 
Parker's "Inner Life of Christ," Matt. 13:51-58. 
23G 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 237 

be very careful not to create more mysteries than God 
created. There should be no needless mystery. If there 
be mysteries at all, it is because of the nature of the 
subject treated and our own limitations. 

3. We must not, however, infer from this that there 
are no mysteries in the Bible. In the very nature of the 
case there must be mystery. So far as the Bible deals 
with the infinities of God, there must of necessity be 
more or less mystery to the finite mind, but, so far as the 
earthly and human side of things is concerned, there 
are no mysteries, and any attempt to mystify is wrong. 

The revelation of God may be fitly compared to a 
bridge spanning the chasm between earth and heaven. 
The end that rests on the eternal shore may be lost in 
fogs and mists impenetrable to human eyes, but the end 
that rests on the hither shore is all plain and easy to be 
seen. It may also be compared to a ladder reaching from 
earth to heaven, the earthly end being perfectly plain, 
while the heavenly end is lost to view. We should never 
try to get onto the ladder at the top. The way to get to 
the top is to begin at the bottom and mount up one step 
at a time. 

I. We may lay down as a broad proposition gath- 
ered from this language of Christ, that the kingdom of 
heaven, so far as its earthly aspects are concerned, was 
meant to be understood. 

I. Jesus not only represents the kingdom by parables, 
but he considerately gave the explanation of the para- 
bles. He took great pains to make everything clear. All 
the different phases of the kingdom were pictorially rep- 
resented and there is no excuse for misunderstanding on 
our part. In this thirteenth chapter of Matthew various 
aspects of the kingdom are presented in parables that 
make it clear. 



238 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

2. It is not, however, within the range of every man's 
possibiHties to understand equally well all parts of the 
revealed Word. One man may be almost a genius in the 
interpretation of parable. Another may be able to ex- 
pound the prophecies with eloquence. Another may come 
to us with a peculiar message of consolation which the 
Word has yielded up to him ; his very face and voice 
contribute to this end. Another may be able to speak the 
word of warning with directness and power. Another 
may come with the message of hope, uttered in such a 
way as to thrill the soul. To understand the message* 
one has to deliver is always the condition of powerful 
preaching. 

This leads me to observe : 

3. That we ought always to be sure that we never go 
l)eyond the limits of what we understand. Herein lies 
the secret of impressions and consequences of the most 
enduring kind. The man who only utters what he under- 
stands will be able to speak with telling effect. This is 
the rule in all teaching; theological, scientific, literary, 
artistic and musical. Keep within the limits of your 
understanding is a most important rule. A man who 
knows nothing about commercial pursuits would better 
not invest his money in trade. A man who knows noth- 
ing about politics would better not run for office. A 
failure to observe this common-sense rule has led to 
much disaster and confusion in the world. 

4. Men should be satisfied to observe the same com- 
mon-sense rule with respect to God's word. Let not the 
sparrow try to fly as high as the eagle. There are por- 
tions of the Bible that few can understand. When we 
come to such portions let us modestly confess our igno- 
rance, and let us not be discouraged if the finite can not 
fully grasp the infinite. There is, however, enough that 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 239 

we can understand to occupy our attention and call for 
our deepest and profoundest study. If we gain a knowl- 
edge of this Word as it applies to the things that belong 
to man, to the practical duties and affairs of life, we will 
have all that the most gifted minds can attend to. 

II. In the next place, we learn from this passage 
that this kingdom of heaven was not only meant to be 
understood, but to be embodied in human speech and 
life. 

Knowledge, however complete it may be, is never an 
end. No sooner did the disciples declare their under- 
standing than Jesus said unto them "therefore." This 
word ''therefore", is a logical word. It indicates se- 
quence. It shows that the knowledge was not an end. 
It is a great matter to understand God's word, but this 
is not the greatest thing. No sooner had the disciples 
made that admission than out of it Christ struck a final 
parable which indicated the logical sequence of their 
knowledge. If we understand these things, Jesus will 
not let us stop there, but will bind upon us the "there- 
fore" with its logical continuity. 

I. The first sequence introduced by the word "there- 
fore" is this : Jesus Christ claims for all instructed dis- 
ciples substantial truth. ^ "Therefore every scribe that is 
instructed into the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man 
that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his 
treasures things new and old." The man who has this 
knowledge is a householder who has a treasure. He 
does not utter mere phrases of his own making. The 
knowledge of the kingdom is a positive quantity, a per- 
sonal possession, an individual inheritance. The religion. 



*For some of the phrases in this and the following para- 
graphs, see "Inner Life of Christ," p. 284. 



2iO CONVOCATION SERMONS 

of Christ is not a sigh or a sentiment or a mere rhapsody. 
There is nothing in the nature of mere fantasy about it — 
it is a treasure ; it has soUd, practical doctrines, grand 
conceptions of God, broad and luminous revelations re- 
specting human nature. It has solid, massive teachings 
as to the redemption of the race from the presence and 
power and tyranny and guilt of sin. It has an infinite 
hope which it can only indicate by words, which fall in- 
finitely short of the reality as God understands it. To 
call it a treasure is therefore a most fitting figure. The 
conception that the word of God furnishes us is grand 
and complete. It is not a mere fragment of truth ; it is 
not a detached portion that needs to be supplemented 
from other sources, but is a complete and perfect sys- 
tem of ethical and religious truth covering the whole 
circle of life. Is the soul hungry? It is bread, ''of which 
if a man eat he shall never hunger more." Is the soul 
thirsty? It is water, "of which if a man drink he shall 
never thirst again." Is the soul weary? It comes with 
the blessing of rest. Is the soul troubled? It comes with 
the blessing of peace. Is the soul sick? It offers divine 
remedies that will cure every malady. As Joseph Parker 
says: "No man has ever tasted the value of this treasure, 
and entered with conscious joy into his proprietorship, 
that has experienced one pang of disappointment." 

2. The instructed man not only has a treasure, but he 
dispenses his treasure. "He brings forth out of his 
treasure things new and old." He is a liberal giver, and 
in this way he displays the true economy. To retain tor 
selfish ends is wrong. To do so is to be guilty of tlie 
greatest folly. We are not proprietors, but stewards of 
the manifold grace of God. God makes us debtors for 
all we receive. Nothing is held for self. Every idea I 
have is yours, and all the knowledge that you possess 



CONVOCATIOX SERMONS 241 

belongs to me. We help one another by mutual ex- 
change, by giving and receiving, and this is one great law 
of growth. We hold all things in common ; no man is 
Lord or King; the poorest owns all and the richest can 
own no more. 

In this we learn the true character of the church. A 
church that acts on any other lines falls below its high 
vocation. The true church is a great dispensary. The 
church should be a most hospitable place. "Close com- 
munion," did you say? The Bible knows nothing of 
narrow exclusiveness, of close communion. A com- 
munion that is close is not a Bible communion. This 
church of Christ is the Father's house, and no man has a 
right to fence it in or make it an inhospitable place for a 
single individual. Individual duty is also shown. The 
admonition to those who have this treasure is, not to keep 
it, but to give it. Their commission is world-wide. "Go 
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every 
creature." The breadth of our commission is limited 
only by our power. 

There is also a hint as to method in this passage. 
Christ has given the true method of dispensing. He 
says "the instructed man brings forth out of his treasure 
things new and old." This meets the constitutional re- 
quirements of the soul. We want both new and old. 
In every gospel sermon there ought to be things new and 
old. There may be happy suggestion, new application, 
but underneath there must lie the rich soil of divine truth. 
The greatest truth, if it has no new applications, becomes 
tiresome and dull, but no matter how old the truth may 
be when set in new relations, it is fresh and interesting. 
This is God's way. He gives us old time, but nev/ 
springs and summers ; old light, but new evenings and 
mornings ; old mists and sunlight, but new rainbows ; old 



242 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

fields and new grass; old trees, but new leaves; old 
friends, but new acts of friendship and new words of 
love. 

III. Men's usual tendency to belittle an occasion is 
here shown. 

I. The sneer and mean criticism seems to be inev- 
itable. Even the Son of God did not escape it. Depraved 
humanity can not rest until it has profaned every sanct- 
uary that God has built. 

''Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty 
works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his 
mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joses,. 
and Simon, and Judas ? And his sisters, are they not all 
with us?" When men can not question the reality nor 
deny the power and splendor, when they can not gainsay 
the truth of the utterances, what will they do? We 
would suppose that they would willingly and thankfully 
accept the uttered truth. This is a great mistake. They 
will, on the contrary, point with the finger and say, 
"Whence hath this man this wisdom?" They can not 
deny the truth, but they will besmirch the man who 
utters it, if possible. This is the strange performance 
that men are engaged in every day. Instead of fixing 
attention upon the mighty works and on the wisdom that 
is displayed, they will fall upon the instrument through 
whom the revelation comes. 

2. Let us not think that this species of ingratitude 
was confined to the Jews. Jesus Christ was not hated 
and crucified by the Jews. He was ''despised and re- 
jected of men." They were not Jews simply that spurned 
him and mocked him and killed him, and threw his an- 
cestry in his face as a reproach. It was man that did 
it. Every man. We crucified the Son of God. We 
had our part in the foul tragedy. The truth is, we were 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 243 

all present in a radical way and had a hand in the foul 
deed of crucifixion. We all cut the accursed tree and 
nailed the Son of Grod to it. This is not a mere local or 
geographical incident, but an awful deed of all time. 
Worse than all, w^e were not only there potentially, but 
we keep it up through the ages, in spirit at least. If we 
can not cast the covert sneer at Christ in person, we can 
at least do so toward his servant through whom his truth 
comes to us. 

3. But mark you how small the criticism is after all. 
This is positively the worst thing they could say about 
the Son of God. "Whence hath this man this wisdom 
and these mighty works?" *Ts not this the carpenter's 
son?" 'Ts not his mother called Mary?" This shows 
the weakness of the whole case. If they could have said 
anything worse, they would have done it. There was 
doubtless more in the cutting manner in which the words 
were spoken than in the words themselves. This is the 
habit of prejudice. When the facts can not be gainsaid, 
when the truth is not dishonorable, the case is prejudiced 
by a sneer, a wink, a wrong emphasis, a covert insinua- 
tion. Men do not have to speak falsehood to tell a lie. 
They may do it with a look. Thank Grod, we have come 
to know this carpenter. We have learned to respect his 
virgin mother ; such indictments as are here presented 
have long since lost their force. We have learned to 
glory in the name of Him who wore our humanity, who 
carried our sorrows, who shared our labors and toils. 

IV. By way of emphasis let me enumerate the more 
prominent and important lessons of the text. 

I. The first thing necessary in the way of preparation 
on the intellectual side is a clear understanding of the 
subject that we are dealing with. This is true in every 
domain of thought or action. Knowledge is power be- 



244 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

cause without it all effort is liable to end in confusion and 
failure. No man can put into practice principles that he 
does not grasp or comprehend. Therefore, there is no 
time so well spent as that spent in acquiring knowledge. 
And just here is where young people grow most im- 
patient. In their anxiety to plunge into the active affairs 
of life they are apt to overlook the necessary acquisition 
of knowledge, and this is surely a somewhat slow process. 
It requires patience and long-continued effort. Jesus 
Christ spent three years and a half in teaching his twelve 
apostles before he ventured to send them forth. He 
taught them by precept and example. He was a great 
master of parables, and in this way made his principles 
as clear as a sunbeam. Not only is it impossible for a 
man to put into practice a principle he does not under- 
stand, but when it comes to teaching knowledge is even 
more necessary. He can teach the lesson best who knows 
it best, other things being equal. No man can teach well 
that wdiich is not perfectly clear in his mind. He ought 
to be able to stand at the beginning of the lesson and see 
the end, to stand at the end and see the beginning, and to 
stand in the middle and see both ways. Thoroughness 
of understanding is one great essential to successful 
teaching, whether it be from the teacher's desk, from the 
pulpit or in the forum. Never be satisfied until you have 
learned your lesson thoroughly. 

2. Man's richest treasure is knowledge. Jesus says, 
"The man who has understanding brings forth out of 
his treasure." In fact, there is but one treasure that 
deserves the name, and that is knowledge. Everything 
else is effervescent. Nothing else has enduring value. 
Do you say character is the valuable thing? I answer 
that character is the product of knowledge. Being re- 
sults from knowing. Every virtue of the soul springs 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 245- 

from knowledge. Does some one say our treasures con- 
sist in deeds? I answer, Back of every good deed is a 
good thought, and without the thought the deed would 
be wanting. Truly the Master touched the inmost reality 
of the case when he called the knowledge his disciples 
had a treasure. 

3. Let it not be supposed, however, that this treasure 
of knowledge may be likened to the hoarded wealth of 
the miser. Jesus said the man who has knowledge brings 
forth out of his treasure. Knowledge is not a personal 
possession to be enjoyed for its own sake. Knowledge 
is never for the sake of the individual who has it. 
Knowledge is for service's sake; service is the end of 
life. Knowledge is great because it goes before and 
inspires service, and intelligently directs it. Do not 
imagine, therefore, that you are here to seek knowledge 
as an end, but to seek it as a means to a higher end. 

4. The truly educated man is both a conservative and 
a progressive man. We hear much in these days about 
conservatism and progressiveness. With some the for- 
mer is a term of reproach. They look upon the con- 
servative as a fossil, a mossback, a man who has outlived 
his time, a man, therefore, who is to be despised and re- 
jected. Another class look with equal distrust upon pro- 
gressiveness. They think the man of progressive ideas 
is a dangerous fanatic, an experimentalist, an idealist 
whose leadership is fraught with peril. The facts are, 
both of these views are wrong. The truly instructed 
man, according to the Master's teaching, is both a con- 
servative and a progressive. He brings forth out of his 
treasure things new and old. He despises not old things 
because they are old, and accepts new things simply be- 
cause they are new. He recognizes that the new and old 
are supplementary. Some old things must necessarily 



246 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

pass away; some old things must abide forever. Some 
new things are necessary to take the place of the old 
that has become effete. New diseases demand new rem- 
edies. Old diseases can be treated by the old remedies 
that have stood the test of experience. Happy is the 
man who can eliminate from the old that which has 
served its purpose and is no longer necessary, and hold 
on with a firm grip to great underlying principles of 
truth that are as old as God, and that will endure through 
the eternities to come. Happy is he who can recognize 
and seize upon the new truth that the hour demands, and 
fearlessly apply it to the new problems that must be met. 
Both men will suffer persecution, but happy is he who 
can patiently endure persecution for righteousness' sake. 



SERMON VIII. 

A Dangerous Adviser 

Text. — Prov. 28 : 26 : "He that trusteth in his own heart is a 

iool." 

1. To be able to use anything to the best advantage 
we should know its purpose and the characteristics of its 
construction. This law holds good with respect to every- 
thing made by man or created by God. An attempt to 
divert anything from its purpose will end in failure. 
Even though the attempt be made in ignorance, it matters 
not. Some illustrations may help us. You can not sweep 
with a hoe, nor hoe your garden with a broom. You 
can not thresh wheat with a sulky plow, nor cultivate 
your ground with a grain separator. You can not make 
a trailing vine out of an oak, nor make a vine grow up 
like an oak. 

2. We are now ready to study the heart of man. 
What do we mean by the heart? We mean the desires, 
emotions, affections, as distinguished from the judgment 
and reason. The heart is more like a clinging vine than 
like an oak. The heart is the vine ; reason is the oak. As 
the vine will always tend to go as high as its support, so 
the heart will always go just as high as its support, and 
no higher. Therefore the Scripture says : "Set your 
affections on things above and not on things on the 
earth." **What is the first commandment?" "Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy might and mind and 
strength." Here is the secret of good associations. We 
become like our company, because we soon learn to love 
our company. The heart has a work, but it is our busi- 

(9) 247 



248 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

ness to know what that is, and it is a great mistake to 
try to make the heart do the work of some other faculty. 
Psychology recognizes three great departments : intellect^ 
sensibilities and will. It is a great mistake to make one 
do the work of the other. Intellect decides, heart ap- 
proves, and will executes. 

I. There is a tendency among all, and especially 
among the young, to use the heart for the wrong pur- 
pose : they allow it to do the work of the intellect ; they 
are governed by feeling rather than judgment. 

1. There is a good reason for this. The hearts of the 
young are earliest developed. It is a wise provision of 
God that places the young under parents and guardians. 
The young feel the glow of passion. 

2. A dangerous point in life is here indicated. Just 
as a young man or woman is passing into the period of 
accountability, they are very apt to listen to the prompt- 
ings of the heart rather than of the head. The intellect 
may speak the word of caution, but when the heart pleads 
they are apt to yield. 

3. Most of our troubles come from following our 
impulses rather than our judgment. A word of advice is 
in order here. Do not put your hearts in the lead. Every 
bad habit is formed by following the heart rather than 
the head. This is true of drinking : your head says, "Do 
not do it;" your heart says, "Do it." This is true of 
smoking: your head says, "No;" your heart, "Yes." 
Listen to David : "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse 
his way ? By taking heed thereto according to thy word." 

II. Some look into their hearts to find their God. 

I. Very many people create a God to suit themselves. 
This is the meaning of Greek mythology. This goes on 
even yet. It is the business of the head to find God, and 
of the heart to love him. Some say that God will not 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 249 

punish sin. Why? Because their hearts want such a 
God. The God created by the heart is never better than 
the heart that makes him. 

2. The man who fashions his God after his own de- 
sires makes the highest attainment impossible. Such a 
God is never better than the man who creates him, which, 
at best, is Hmited and imperfect. The individual will 
never rise higher than his God, hence the necessity for a 
perfect God, the differences between individuals and 
races are caused by the differences in the conceptions 
formed of God. The only way to give all men practically 
the same conception of God is through revelation. The 
man who creates his own God arrogates to himself the 
attributes of God. It requires a God to create a true God. 

III. Some look into their hearts to find their doc- 
trine. 

They measure every doctrine by their own feelings. 
A doctrine is true or false according to their feelings. 
Such people are using their hearts for a wrong purpose. 
Confusion is the necessary result when a man's heart 
leads. If the human heart were perfect and our instincts 
unerring, this might do. Who does not know that at 
one time he takes delight in that which at another time 
he does not approve? 

1. This process would break down all standards of 
truth. Christianity comes from hearing, believing and 
obeying. Our faith must rest on testimony. The heart 
must take hold or the faith will not be an active faith. 
Feelings are the result and not the evidence of believing. 

2. Many to-day stay out of the church because the 
commands of God do not suit them. To make feeling a 
test of doctrine is to abandon society to fanaticism. A 
diseased body will reject wholesome food. Are we so 
divine that oui emotions will test truth? 



250 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

IV. Some in the church look into their hearts to 
decide questions of duty. 

1. Some fail in duty on this ground. Why were you 
not at church? I did not feel like it. Why did you not 
visit that sick man ? I did not feel like it. Why were you 
not at class ? I did not wish to go. 

2. We would consider this absurd in worldly matters. 
Let us imagine the case of merchant and his clerk: 
"You were not in the store this morning," the merchant 
says. *'No, sir," the clerk replies. "Were you sick?" 
"No, sir." "Then, why were you absent?" "I did not 
feel like coming." The clerk would soon get his dis- 
charge. 

Consider the man who owes a note of one thousand 
dollars. He does not pay when due. When asked the 
reason, he replies, "I did not feel like paying." Would 
such an excuse pass ? 

The awful results of this course are manifest. The 
man who does this is lost. Are you aware of your re- 
sponsibility? Then, perform your duty. To hesitate is 
ruin. 

V. Some depend on their hearts to repent before 
they die. 

1. Impenitent people, as a rule, make good resolu- 
tions. Those who do so are trusting their hearts. Why 
should a man repent just before he dies? It is his last 
chance, you say. If your heart does not prompt you now, 
how can you trust it after awhile? 

2. Let me ask those who are trusting their hearts, 
"Why do you suppose God gave you a head?" This is a 
question of cool, deliberate judgment. A man is caught 
in the rapids of Niagara. He refuses to come ashore be- 
cause he does not feel like it. He is lost. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 251 

VI. Reasons why the heart is not to be trusted. 

1. Experience shows that it is untrustworthy: How 
often have our own hearts deceived us. In following 
our inclinations we have been led astray. 

2. Because it is wicked. If followed, it will lead to 
ruin. From out of the heart come all evil things. The 
criminal that was hung yesterday was once as pure as a 
babe. He followed his heart. 

Why not act the man ? Your judgment tells you what 
to do. The manly thing is to do what enlightened judg- 
ment prompts. 

It is the foolish man that trusts his heart. The truth 
of the text is abundantly shown. Will you not exercise 
the reason and judgment God has given you, and thus 
demonstrate your divine origin and true greatness? 



SERMON IX. 

The Priceless Treasure* 

Text. — Matt. 13 : 44-46 : "Again, the kingdom of heaven is 
like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath 
found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that 
he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven 
is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when 
he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he 
had, and bought it." 

1. It is said that formerly merchants in the East, 
owing to the uncertainties of business through frequent 
changes of dynasties, and the disorders of the times, di- 
vided their treasure into three parts : one part they used 
as capital in trade, one they invested in pearls that repre- 
sented large value in small compass, and one part they 
buried and kept it secret. It might happen that the mer- 
chant might be suddenly killed and the buried treasure 
would thus be lost. 

2. This parable, therefore, according to Christ's 
method, was founded on a common custom among men. 
In this lies the explanation, in part at least, of the charm 
there is in Christ's teaching. It touches life in a very 
intimate way: every-day matters are brought into view, 
and thus interest is awakened, for nothing is so inter- 
esting as life. 

3. The two parables together express two sides of a 
great truth : one parable represents the unexpected find- 



*Parker's "Inner Life of Christ," "Servant of All," pp. 267- 
252 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 253 

ing of treasure without any set or deliberate purpose or 
any knowledge of its existence. 

The other represents the search for treasure believed 
to exist. The merchantman sets out with a definite pur- 
pose to find it. 

I. These parables serve to classify all men under 
two great general divisions, and our observation shows 
us that the classification is exhaustive and accurate. 

1. There is a large class of men that have never come 
to realize that there is any fixed and definite purpose in 
life. They have never taken the pains to read the chart 
of life's journey ; they do not know where they are going. 
They have never asked the question, "Why am I living?" 
**Why was I created?" They look on life as a sort of 
lottery. They are always expecting something to turn 
up to their advantage. They believe in luck. There are 
others who look on life as a sort of joke. They want to 
laugh and be amused. They have never learned the 
meaning of the sentiment, "Life is earnest, life is real." 
To search after any good has never entered the minds 
of such persons. If they find a treasure, it is an accident. 
Thank God, many such persons do find the treasure ; for 
■example, an education, an honorable and useful calling, 
or, best of all, the kingdom of God; but it is accidental, 
and many miss the good thing because they never search. 

2. There is another class who are in search for good. 
They start out with a definite object before them which 
they hope and expect to find. They have come to realize 
that there is an absolute good for men somewhere that 
is worth searching for, that there is a goodly pearl to be 
secured. They believe that in the possession of this 
goodly pearl all life will be made nobler and better. 
They may not be able to define clearly the good thing, 
yet they believe it exists and may be found. This fact 



254 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

offers an explanation of why all men do not search for 
the goodly pearl in the same way. 

3. These two classes are found everywhere — in the 
home, in the town, in the school. Some are searching,, 
watching with intent gaze ; others are merely sauntering 
along aimlessly. In the churches are some who accident- 
ally have found the treasure, and some are there because 
they started to go there. The Samaritan woman is an 
example of one who accidentally came upon the goodly 
pearl. Examples of both kinds are abundant. Some are 
lawyers and doctors in the same way. Some work to the 
end ; others arrive by accident. Some are in school in 
just that way. Some do not know why they are there. 
Some have made choice in the matter. In the early de- 
velopment of the church we have an illustration : the 
Jews were seeking the pearl and did not recognize it 
when they saw it. The Gentiles found it as if by acci- 
dent. 

4. Two facts should not be overlooked. Those who 
do not seek are much less apt to find. Many a life has. 
been worthless because of the failure to seek. In fact, 
these two very different dispositions result in forming 
three classes : those who get no good, those who get good 
by accident, and those who get good by searching. In 
any case where good is secured, there must be a willing- 
ness to seize the treasure or pearl and hold it fast. Some 
see and yet do not see ; they do not appreciate the good 
thing. Some are unwilling to part with all — they can 
not pay the price ; and some want to drive a sharp bar- 
gain, that is, get the good thing on very easy terms. 

II. Much of the beauty of the first parable lies in 
the part that surprise plays in the divine economy. 

I. In point of fact, the joys of surprise are among 
the keenest of Hfe. Take out of life the joy of surprise,. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 255 

and you rob it of that which is very blessed. However, 
the surprise must be on the upper side and not on the 
lower side of expectation in order to cause joy. If you 
expect to inherit a fortune, and get nothing, you may 
be surprised, but not deUghted; but if you expect nothing 
and get one Httle green field, you are delighted. God has 
arranged that life shall be full of surprises on the upper 
side of expectation if we will have it so. As soon as we 
learn how to set a true value on the things of life we 
will be continually surprised in a joyful way. 

2. There are many examples showing the joy of sur- 
prise. The kingdom of heaven is a continual surprise. 
It is more to the true Christian than he ever dreamed of, 
and it becomes more and more to him as time goes by. 
We dream and talk of heaven, but the reality will be a 
^reat surprise. 

The study of the Bible is a continual surprise. You 
never reach bottom. Your sounding-line is never long 
enough. The more you learn, the more there is to learn. 
New treasures continually come into view. 

School life and the studies of the true*student are a 
constant source of joyful surprise. If study is irksome, 
it is because you are still a slave. Having eyes, you see 
not. A true vision takes all the grumbling and com- 
plaining out of men. 

The practice of a profession is a constant surprise 
to the real professional man. This explains the fact 
that such a man is always an enthusiast and usually a 
successful man. 

III. The doctrine of the second parable is in har- 
mony with the ever-continuing personal experience of 
a very large class. 

I. Life is a constant search for goodly pearls with 
some men. In business, thinking, -literature, preaching, 



256 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

art, music, men are asking for the goodly pearl. ''Who 
will show us any good?" is the cry of the anxious heart, 
of many an earnest soul. Get what pearls they may, 
still the cry goes up for more, more, more. There is 
always a brighter one beyond, toward which they stretch 
every nerve. The goal of to-day is but the starting- 
point of to-morrow on the condition named; namely, that 
the goodly pearl is believed to exist. The cynic, the mis- 
anthropist, never searches and never finds. 

2. Even the question of price is not exaggerated. 
The merchantman sold all that he had. Why? Because 
the discovered pearl was worth more than all else. This 
is an essential condition. It must be the pearl of pearls, 
the thing of chief est value. The man who finds the 
pearl of highest value will never hesitate to sell alL 
This is seen in the true artist, teacher, and even in the 
seeker for mere worldly gain. Even here in student life 
it must be true if highest success is to be obtained. It 
must be a goodly pearl or no real good can come to you. 
And is it not the highest good that is here offered? Do 
not imagine that you are here for a small business. Do 
not think the great thing comes after awhile. Now is 
your greatest moment. All time and eternity hang on 
the issue. Do not take small views of this opportunity. 
Do not think that education consists in gleaning a few 
facts more or less. Education is discipline; it is train- 
ing; it is bringing every faculty into subjection to the 
rightful authority; it is, in short, the development of 
strength, the acquisition of power. 

3. All this finds fullest and completest realization in 
the "kingdom of heaven." I have tried to lay hold of the 
general principles and apply them in a broad, general 
way, which I think is legitimate, but Christianity is, 
after all, the pearl of greatest price. This alone meets 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 257 

the soul with satisfying power. It is not something- 
arbitrarily appointed by God. It meets the highest want. 
It is not a burden placed on men's shoulders. It is a 
treasure, a pearl, that will be recognized as such when 
its true nature is understood. You may ask, Is it possible 
that men will part with all for this pearl? Yea, verily. 
Christ said it would be so, and we have seen it illustrated 
again and again. Ask Paul if this is true. He answers^ 
"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the 
knowledge of Christ." Noble ancestry, worldly place 
and power were sacrificed. Ask our missionaries if this 
is true and note the answer. They say : ''We gave up 
home and friends, and all that our hearts held dear, for 
this pearl." Ask the aged saint if this be true and con- 
sider his reply. Ask even the young man or woman who 
has opened his or her heart to Christ and you will get 
the same answer. 

"Oh the precious love of Jesus, 
Growing sweeter day by day, 
Tuning all my heart, so joyous, 
To a heavenly melody." 



SERMON X. 

The True Disciple 

Text. — Acts 16:1-3: "And he came also to Derbe and to 
Lystra : and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, 
the son of a Jewess that believed ; but his father was a Greek. 
The same was well reported of by the brethren that were at 
Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with 
him." 

Some words are invested with peculiar dignity and 
meaning. They fire the soul and thrill the heart when 
mentioned. Some have the opposite effect. Happy is 
he to whom the whole content of a great word is justly 
applicable. Unfortunately, however, words descriptive 
of men are wrongly applied. The wrong stamp is put 
upon the man : the knave is called honest, the coward 
is called brave, the traitor is called patriot, and the vicious 
is called virtuous. Burns well said, ''The rank is but 
the guinea stamp." You can not always tell the man 
by reading the label that has been put upon him. Per- 
haps we may say that no great word ever applies, in all 
its fullness, to any man ; at best we use these words in 
an accommodated and somewhat restricted sense. Brave, 
truthful, honest, scholarly, Christian, and many other 
words, might be given as examples of words habitually 
used in a restricted sense. 

In verse i of this chapter we have a word that in the 
fullness of its content is a very profitable word for this 
occasion — the word ''disciple." 

I. First I want to study this word "disciple" in its 
broad meaning. 

258 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 259 

1. In its etymological signification it means a learner, 
a pupil, one who receives instruction from another, a be- 
liever in the doctrine taught by another ; but this in- 
volves a great deal. The man to whom this word can be 
applied, in its fullest scope, is worthy of much honor. 

2. This is one of the words that carries with it a 
whole volume of meaning. There is no lengthy descrip- 
tion here of this man, no fulsome eulogy, no multiplica- 
tion of adjectives. "There lived in this place a certain 
disciple called Timothy." If he deserved the name, as I 
assume and believe he did, it is a badge of high dis- 
tinction. I willingly take ofif my hat to the person, young 
or old, who deserves this name ''disciple." 

3. It does not take many such words to adequately 
describe a man. In justification of this statement, let 
me ask you to consider what the content of this word 
really is. There is contained in this word ''disciple" : 

(i) Love of knowledge — intellectual hunger. Young 
man, did you ever have such a feeling? You know what 
physical hunger is ; intellectual hunger is even keener. 
No loafer has intellectual hunger. 

(2) Humility. The disciple is always humble. A 
proud, self-suf^cient, self-satisfied person can not be a 
disciple. One of the first tasks of a teacher is to bring 
about that feeling in a pupil. Jesus said : "Except ye be- 
come as little children." 

(3) Respectful bearing toward teachers. There is 
no more disgusting thing than to see a young man lack- 
ing in the elements of respect toward his teachers. Im- 
pertinent speech, boorish conduct, lack of politeness, 
always reveal a sad condition of mind and heart. 

(4) Industry. If there is one thing that is more of 
a reproach than any other thing, it is laziness. It is 
impossible to love a lazy man, and it is equally impossible 



260 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

to wholly dislike an industrious man. A lazy man is out 
of harmony with the whole creation. Everything in 
nature works. This does not mean that play is wrong; 
on the contrary, play is the necessary correlative of 
work. 

(5) Worthy ambition. We call the man who lives 
to eat, a glutton, a gormand, an epicure. He makes eat- 
ing an end of life rather than a means to a higher end. 
It is entirely possible to have intellectual gluttons, men 
who seek knowledge for its own sake. This is a great 
misfortune. Knowledge is no more the end of intel- 
lectual life than food is the end of physical life. Happy 
is he who has become possessed of a high and worthy 
ambition, who aspires to do some worthy thing. He 
will be the true disciple. 

(6) He will seek to understand the relation of 
knowledge to education. Knowledge consists in know- 
ing things ; education, in being, and the acquisition of 
power. What you need is education. You may have 
knowledge and have little education. 

II. Second, I want to study this word in the light 
of the blessings it brings to the individual.* 

I. A real disciple honors his parentage. It is said 
here of Timothy that his mother was a Jewess, his 
father was a Greek. In his veins flowed the blood of 
two great civilizations. Two such fires in his veins must 
have produced unconscious effects of a wonderful kind. 
What stirrings of soul he must have felt, what aspira- 
tions for God because of the blood of his mother, what 
subtle sense for the beautiful because of the blood of 
his father. What appreciation of the majesty and dig- 
nity of law he must have inherited from the Hebrew 



*Parker's "Apostolic Life," Vol. II., pp. 129, 130. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 261 

mother, what a burning desire for wisdom must have 
been the birthright received from his father. What is 
demanded of a man with such parentage? He must be 
Jew multiphed by Greek, greater than father or mother 
— a product made up of two great factors. 

Young man, you love your mother ; she has many 
noble and splendid qualities, and you can scarcely think 
of her without the moisture dimming your eye. How 
can you best show that love? By reproducing in your 
life her noble womanly qualities. Young man, you re- 
spect your father ; he has many characteristics that you 
admire. Time was, and may be now, when he was the 
greatest man on earth to you. How can you best show 
that respect? By reproducing his manly qualities in 
your own life. You should be greater than both — the 
product of the two great factors that enter into your 
being. Timothy was a disciple, and a true disciple is 
worthy of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Young 
people, may you honor your parents in the same way. 

2. He enjoys a good reputation. "He was well re- 
ported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Ico- 
nium." That is as it should be. Everybody is compelled 
to respect a disciple. People feel that such persons do 
honor to our common humanity ; that they are moving 
in the divinely appointed orbit ; that they are destined 
to attain to the high ends of being. There is something 
in us which compels us to admire that which realizes 
in itself its fullest possibilities. We admire the beautiful, 
thrifty tree, the fine field of grain, the perfectly de- 
veloped fruit; we feel that here the divine purpose is 
realized. But our highest admiration is reserved for the 
men who are expanding and growing and attaining unto 
ever larger and grander proportions. A well-grown, 
symmetrically developed man or woman is the most 



262 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

beautiful object the eye can look upon. A person whose 
mind and heart and body are harmoniously unfolded^ 
showing no unevenness, no dormant powers, commands 
the esteem of men and angels. 

Young people, this is the meaning of the word "dis- 
ciple." This is the purpose your parents and friends- 
have in view in sending you to college. This is the dom- 
inant thought in your own heart if you have learned 
to appreciate your own self, and the great purpose of 
God in your existence. Let me beseech you to take large 
views of life; don't be satisfied with the meager vision. 
Get out of the valley and onto the mountain where you 
can have large sweep to your vision and see things in 
their true perspective. Put the emphasis on the great 
things of life. Don't fritter away your time on little, 
insignificant schemes and plans which, if realized, are 
of small moment. Be ambitious to do things that are 
worth the doing, and, whatever you do, do it with your 
might, and do it well. Then you will be true disciples, 
and you will have the love and honor and gratitude of 
men. I have sometimes seen young people who seemed 
to have no desire for the good opinion of man. This is 
a most pernicious and dangerous spirit. When you lose 
a desire for the respect of others you will lose a desire 
for your own respect, and this means ruin. You ought 
to desire fervently the respect of your teachers, the re- 
spect of your fellow-students, the respect of your fellow- 
men. 

3. He is a worthy companion for the noblest and 
best of men. "Him would Paul have to go forth with 
him." Whom will Paul seek as an assistant and co- 
laborer? Some old, experienced man of large wisdom 
and practical knowledge? No, he chooses the young 
Timothy to go forth with him to his work. Young men. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 263 

do not suppose that your youth is going to be a serious 
disadvantage in your early struggles in Hfe. The world 
has learned that the old Pauls need the young Timothies 
as the companions and helpers. Old age and youth are 
complementary. Each has the qualities that the other 
lacks. Old age has wisdom, conservatism, moderation, 
dignity, sense of respectability and sometimes distrust of 
man; youth has ardor, impetuosity, fire, daring, belief 
in men ; what a combination it makes when the two are 
united ! The aid Paul needs is the young Timothy, and 
the young Timothy needs the old Paul. The world is 
learning this. This is coming to be the age of the young 
man. You will not have to wait till you are gray headed 
before the world will have a place for you. Are you 
looking forward to law ? There is some old, gray-headed 
lawyer, full of business, already casting about for some 
young Timothy, who has been, and is, a true disciple — a 
learner of that which ennobles and expands. Are you 
desirous of following the medical profession? There is 
some experienced physician, on whom the years begin to 
drag heavily, who is looking for you to be his Timothy. 
Do you desire to serve God and man in a business 
career? There are aged Pauls who need young Tim- 
othies to join them in carrying forward their well-estab- 
lished business. It is a great mistake to suppose that 
age and youth are antagonistic in interest. They are 
supplementary, and the world is getting to understand 
this better every day. 

Ill- Words of caution for true disciples. 

I. I do not have any misgivings as to the outcome 
of your lives. There is no danger that you will be over- 
looked. Men of influence and power are swift to- dis- 
cover the merits of a worthy young person. You will 
carry with you, unconsciously, the credentials that will 



264 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

be known and read by discerning men. Your kingdom 
is secure. Make yourself worthy and you will be dis- 
covered. 

2. Be not in a hurry to get out into the business of 
life. Your most valuable time is that which you spend 
here. No time is so well spent. Lay your foundations 
strong and deep. 

3. Do not overlook the value of little things. Ob- 
serve the little amenities of life. Pay attention to your 
personal appearance. Learn how to write a good letter. 
Learn how to spell and punctuate. Learn how to fold 
and address a letter. 

4. Do not allow ridicule of idle schoolmates to turn 
you from correct, studious habits. In every school there 
are some who lack earnestness of purpose ; others have 
never formed habits of industry. All such students are 
a menace to a school. They not only fail in the achieve- 
ment of any worthy results, but they are liable to cause 
others to fail. Do not allow yourselves to fall under 
such influence ; guard against it as you would shield 
yourselves from a pestilence. Do not allow their gibes 
and jeers to have any effect upon you. The industrious 
student will always have the respect and admiration of 
all whose good opinion is worth having, and even the 
lazy, trifling student in his inmost soul is compelled to 
do homage to those who distinguish themselves by appli- 
cation to the work in hand. 

5. Do not neglect your religious nature. Here many 
students make a great mistake, for it is easy in a school 
where intellectual efforts occupy so much of a place in 
the life of the student to allow moral culture to drop 
into the background. There is a continual tendency to 
make education purely an intellectual matter. This is a 
sad mistake. The moral nature needs development just 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 265 

as much as does the intellectual ; in fact, do not forget 
that your education lies along three lines : physical, in- 
tellectual and moral. Heart power should be sought for 
just as much as the purely intellectual power, and educa- 
tion has accomplished its highest task only when the 
threefold nature of man has been co-ordinately and har- 
moniously developed. 



SERMON XL 

The Gate and tke Way unto Li£e^ 

Text. — Matt. 7:13, 14: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for 
wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruc- 
tion, and many there be which go in thereat : because strait is 
the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and 
few there be that find it." 

1. Here, as in many other instances of Christ's teach- 
ing, we have an example of his own wonderful wisdom. 
He had both the extensive or broad-surface vision and 
the intensive or penetrating vision. When he had ex- 
pressed his views of life, or of- any phase of life, there 
was nothing more to be said. Nobody could amend it 
or add to it except in mere elaboration. All the con- 
stantly accumulating experience of the world has never 
discredited anything he uttered concerning life, but, on 
the contrary, it has fully justified his every utterance. 

2. The more I study the life and teachings of Christ, 
the more I reflect upon the present every-day social, po- 
litical and religious problems, and the more I study the 
principles that enter into individual growth and develop- 
ment, the more I am convinced that Jesus Christ is the 
solution of every question, whether it pertains to indi- 
vidual life, or the collective life of the local community, 
or of the nation, or of the world. Do I want to under- 
stand the Bible, Jesus Christ holds the key. Do I want 



*Parker's "Inner Life of Christ," "These Sayings of Mine,' 
pp. 224-230. 

266 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 267 

to solve the great problems of state, Jesus Christ has 
set forth the principles that will yield the only true so- 
lution. The race question, the labor question, the money 
question, the liquor question, the city slum question, can 
all be solved by a correct application of the principles 
enunciated by Jesus Christ. Do I want to discover the 
true principles of education, culture and development? 
Do I wish to discover how my highest possibilities may 
be reached? How my life may be made most effective in 
good to myself and to the world? Jesus Christ has 
clearly revealed the principles that underlie all true suc- 
cess. He is the great teacher, the one all-inclusive edu- 
cator of the ages. He is the central flame at which every 
educator must light his torch. He is the fountain at 
which every true statesman, reformer and teacher must 
drink. He is the great central sun from which every 
star that would shine with undimmed luster must borrow 
its light. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning 
and the end, the first and the last. 

3. Students, if you wish to achieve the largest suc- 
cess, if you wish to avoid difficulties, if you wish to 
make the most substantial progress, if you wish to mag- 
nify your opportunities, if you wish to satisfy yourselves 
and please your friends, take Jesus Christ into partner- 
ship with you ; form his acquaintance, learn what he has 
said concerning life and character, adopt the principles 
he has laid down, do your work under his guidance, 
shape your conduct according to his rules, and your 
school life will be like "the path of the just, which is as 
a shining light that shineth more and more unto the per- 
fect day." 

I. This text reminds me of the fact that Jesus 
Christ never was unfaithful to the truth merely for the 
sake of pleasing his hearers. 



268 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

1. We all love to say things that are popular and 
pleasing. It is generally very hard to speak a disagree- 
able truth. It is very difficult to be a true friend. It is 
hard to be a true preacher Here we have an example 
of the utterance of a disagreeable and almost discour- 
aging truth. Luke says (chap. 13 : 23) : ''Lord, are there 
few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to 
enter in at the strait gate : for many, I say unto you, 
will seek to enter in, but shall not be able." It would 
have been so much easier to have said, "Yes, everybody 
will be saved ; the road to life is broad and the gate 
wide," but, on the contrary, he seems to give a some- 
what discouraging view of life. But it is the part of 
wisdom to look on the dark side as well as on the bright 
side. Dangers, to be avoided, must be seen and appre- 
ciated. Difficulties, to be overcome, must be recognized. 

2. It is possible that a close study of this will show 
that there is not so much that is discouraging as at first 
appears. To understand this we must not depend upon 
mere figures. People must be weighed rather than 
counted. The value of humanity can not be arrived at 
by mere estimate of numbers. It is what men become 
that determines their value. Souls must be put in the 
scales before their value is known. Jesus taught the 
infinite value of the soul, but we must understand this 
potentially rather than absolutely. The soul is greater 
than all this material world by reason of what it may 
become, but if movement be downward rather than up- 
ward, if there be contraction rather than expansion, if 
there be retrogression rather than progression, if there 
be decay rather than growth, what then ? Listen to what 
the great Teacher says : "Every tree that brings not 
forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the 
fire." "He will gather the wheat into his garner, but 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 269 

the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." "If the 
salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" 
We may ask, Will any great thing be burned up? Will 
any good thing be trodden underfoot? No. It is only 
when possibilities are not realized, when the potentially 
great fails in the accomplishment of its high ends, when 
that which might be wheat becomes tares, that it meets 
with the doom of worthless things. There must be a 
lake of fire to burn up the moral filth of the world. 

3. Let us strive to make this principle of closer ap- 
plication. We have here several hundred young people 
who have come for the purpose of seeking an education. 
Are they all of equal value? Potentially yes. We can 
not very well compare infinities, and potentially each one 
is infinite. Furthermore, I believe that God places the 
stamp of highest approval upon that which achieves its 
highest possibilities. The coin of highest denomination, 
in God's mint, is the thing that does its best. The barn- 
yard fowl may not fly as high as the eagle, but it is no 
less great if it accomplishes, to the fullest extent, the 
ends of its being. Gradation in value may exist be- 
tween things that depart more or less from their highest 
possibilities, but not between things that achieve their 
highest ends. 

Suppose, out of the hundreds here, only fifty should 
reach the summit, would not, then, our work be a failure ? 
No, a thousand times no. One soul that is truly saved, 
even though a thousand pass downward to the bottomless 
pit, would amply justify all our labor. We must weigh 
souls and not merely count them. The one v/ould out- 
weigh, in true value, the many. 

4. Then, Christ's view, after all, is not such a mourn- 
ful view of the destiny of our race. Then, too, it is only 
few in comparison ; absolutely there will be many. There 



270 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

will be a great multitude that no man can number, com- 
ing up out of every nation and people and tribe and 
tongue. A mighty host will stand at last with palms of 
victory and crowns of glory, and join in the paean of 
rejoicing, whose echoes will make glad the city of our 
God. If you should pass down the Ohio and Mississippi 
to New Orleans on one of the great steamers, you would 
see old wrecks and abandoned vessels scattered along 
the shore. On almost every sandbar you would see some 
trace of a wrecked vessel of some kind. If you were 
disposed to be pessimistic, you might say, *'We will never 
reach our destination," but when you reach the port you 
will see miles of stately vessels that have come through 
safely. 

II. The principle disclosed in this language of 
Christ is one of universal application. It holds good 
in all the varied walks of life. 

At home, in school, in business, everywhere the prin- 
ciple finds ample illustration. We may also add, after 
a careful study of the principle, that the straitness of the 
gate and the narrowness of the way are in inverse pro- 
portion to the value of the life sought. The more valu- 
able the life, the straiter is the gate and the narrower is 
the way. Into a small, mean life there is a wide gate. 

I. The application of the principle to the world of 
music will help us to a better understanding of it. Do 
you imagine it is an easy thing to become a fine musician ? 
Do you think it is the result of merely a native talent 
that will reveal itself on slightest provocation? Do you 
imagine that a few hours or days of practice will pro- 
duce the result ? Do not be deceived ; the gate into this 
field is a very narrow one. You can not wander around 
in any direction your fancy may choose ; here is the road. 
It is very narrow. You must put yourself under rigid 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 271 

law. You must do things in a certain very exact way. 
You must never know weariness or impatience, and you 
must follow in the course for months and years, and 
after the long, wearisome struggle you will enter a de- 
lightful world whose pleasures will amply repay you for 
all your sacrifice. In the meantime, scores will fail. The 
gate they enter is too easy and the road is too broad. 
They spared themselves too much ; sleep was too sweet 
and leisure too seductive. The result was bitter disap- 
pointment, loss of time, humiliating failure. 

2. Would you enter the world of art, painting or 
sculpture? You have a very strait gate to enter and a 
very narrow road to travel. Your mind must be disci- 
plined. You are enthusiastic, perhaps, but you lose your 
patience and become careless. You must take a little 
piece of canvas as large as your two hands and work on 
it for months, not so much for the picture, as for the 
patience and perseverance to be acquired. Your hand^ 
arms, muscles need training; they are rebellious, they 
will not obey you ; it will take time and effort, severe and 
long continued. Then, in process of time after the weary 
waiting, you will enter a world of wonderful beauty. 

3. These illustrations will serve to open up a very 
broad field of thought. What is the world you wish to 
enter most? Science, mathematics, theology, oratory, 
medicine, law, business. Make your choice, but know 
full well that strait is the gate of entrance and narrow 
the way that leads into it. 

"Broad is the road that leads to death, 

And many walk together there; 
But wisdom shows a narrow way, 
With here and there a traveler." 

If you travel in a broad road, you will never get to 
a worthy goal. There is a narrow path that leads to 



272 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

the life you desire. It demands your time, your effort, 
your patience, your perseverance, your supreme sacrifice. 
It demands, as a price, your all. Keep back part and 
you fail. If you are going to sit on the steps of a 
grocery, or loaf on the counter of the town store and 
trade vulgar stories with people who have no higher 
purposes ; if you are going to dissipate your powers by 
drinking intoxicating beverages or by use of narcotics ; 
if you are going to be irregular in your classes or shirk 
your duties — as a student you will fail. Strait is the 
gate and narrow is the way that leads to the great life. 

4. Let us apply this principle in a general rather than 
a specific way. Will it hold good when applied to the 
broad, general life that we lead in our associations with 
each other? Let us see who is the man of influence, the 
man to whom men go for counsel and advice, the man 
to whom those in trouble go instinctively, the man whose 
opinion is final and conclusive on different questions. 
Inquire how this man came into such a blessed life and 
see what answer you get. Strait was the gate and nar- 
row the way. Idleness, indolence, dissipation, self-indul- 
gence, are unknown to him. His path has been very 
narrow ; industry, perseverance, correct habits, time well 
spent, have led him into the world of influence. When 
we study all this and see the universal application of the 
principle, we are amazed at the wonderful wisdom of the 
carpenter's son. 

III. This language of Christ points out to us an 
awful possibility: "Many shall seek and not be able.** 
This is a terrible fact. 

I. You may ask. Is there no such a thing as a change 
if one has been going wrong? If one tries to walk in 
the narrow way and stumbles and falls, can he not rise 
a^ain? Are mistakes and failures irretrievable? Thank 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 273 

God, no. There is such a thing as rising from defeat. 
Far be it from me to mock a man who falls. It is the 
Pharisees who can never excuse or forgive a mistake. 
Many a man falls who has the element of true manhood 
in him. The devil may get a temporary victory, but after 
awhile, by the grace of God and by your help, O Chris- 
tian man, he will overcome the adversary and he will 
tread the narrow path up the heavenly steep without 
fainting or falling. God give us a heart of sympathy ; 
God give us the spirit of helpfulness; God deliver us 
from the self-righteous spirit of Phariseeism. 

If you have striven to enter and failed, try again. If 
you have fallen, get up again ; set your face in the up- 
ward direction and struggle on. 'Tt is human to fall, 
but it is divine to rise." 

2. But you ask, Does not the text teach that there is 
such a thing as a failure because of inability? In Luke 
12 : 24 we read : ''Many will seek to enter in and shall not 
be able." Some one may ask, "May not the condition of 
entering into life be beyond my powers?" "Perhaps I 
have some inherent weakness that will disqualify me." 
"I may not be able." Let me say that this is a coward's 
plea. I have no patience with such an excuse. "Hered- 
itary weakness," you say. Shame on you; do not try 
to lay the blame of your failure upon your father and 
mother or some remote ancestor. Be a man and take 
the blame of your own failure. When you can do that, 
the battle is more than half won. 

3. Is it true, then, you say, that this passage has no 
meaning and all who seek will enter therein? Do not 
let anything I have said lead you into such an error. This 
is a very sad and mournful truth. "Many shall seek and 
will not be able to enter." Recognize this awful truth 
and escape such a doom. Notice the reason of failure. 



274 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

It is not inherent weakness. Luke 13 : 25 : "When once 
the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the 
door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the 
door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us. . . . Then will 
1 say unto them, I never knew you." The reason of fail- 
ure is the closing of the door. You are not able because 
the door is closed and not because you are inherently 
weak. Did you imagine that the door of opportunity 
would remain forever open ? Did you suppose you could 
put off entering indefinitely? Thou simpleton. Procras- 
tination is an awful thief. He robs you of your high 
possibilities. A door stands open before you, a strait 
gate stands ajar. It will soon be closed. There is a 
time to enter every field — law, medicine, business, all 
useful callings. Put it off, and after awhile you will 
come and knock, but the door is closed. What then? 
Regret, remorse, bitterness of spirit — failure. 

4. But says one. This text applies to the kingdom of 
heaven. But grant that it applies to the church. Then 
what? I ring the words of the text in your ears : "Strive 
to enter." This is your open door of opportunity. Be- 
fore to-morrow it may be closed. 

5. This audience ought to be a supremely happy one. 
You are for the most part young. The good man of the 
house has not risen up and shut the door. The door 
of opportunity is still open. You should shout aloud 
for the joy of the prospect. The door is swinging on its 
hinges. The hands of those who have entered before 
are beckoning you. The. voices of the true and good are 
calling to you. The gracious invitations of a Father are 
extended. Will you not enter now? 

The great, loving Saviour is watching you from yon- 
der bright heaven. Will you disappoint yearning ex- 
pectancy ? 



SERMON XII. 

The Abundant Life 

Texts. — John lo: lo: "I came that they may have life, and 
may have it abundantly." 

Prov. 3 : 14 : "For the merchandise of it is better than the 
merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." 

Two leading thoughts enter into this sermon : 

1. The supreme value of a collegiate training. 

2. Some necessary principles that enter into the true 
educational process. 

A good definition of education is not easy to formu- 
late, owing to the comprehensive nature of the process, 
but it is nevertheless important. Probably the best defi- 
nition that can be given in few words is this : "Education 
is life." When Aristotle was asked in what way the 
educated differed from the uneducated, he replied: "As 
the living dift'er from the dead." Men are born to live 
and not to die. The more abundant the life, the more 
nearly men fulfill the end of being. The object of death 
seems to be to feed life. Holland very forcefully ex- 
presses the thought in these words : 

"Life evermore is fed by death, 
In earth or sea or sky, 
And that a rose may breathe its breath, 
Something must die." 

The true object of education is to give man more 
abundant life, or, in other words, to fit men for the 
largest, fullest, noblest life ; in short, to prepare us for 
complete living. 

275 



276 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

3. Education is therefore the largest and most im- 
portant subject that can engage the attention. I make 
this statement deHberately. It is not to the disparage- 
ment of Christianity to say this, since Christianity is a 
system of education. It seeks to make the most of the 
powers and possibiUties of every individual. Its pur- 
poses are educational. It is based upon the most accurate 
understanding of the human soul, and its methods har- 
monize completely with the most enlightened processes 
of education. It is therefore the foster-mother of all 
true forms of education. 

4. The value of education is further shown by con- 
sidering the value of the individual. If education is 
life, the higher the possibilities of life, the greater the 
value of education. Anything that tends to give larger, 
fuller, more abundant life to any part of the man is of 
supreme importance. Christ laid the foundations for 
education firm and solid when he taught the individual 
greatness of man. The idea that man is the greatest 
thing in the world makes his education the most impor- 
tant thing in the world. 

5. It is important also to remember that education is 
a continuous process. It is never ended. It were a pity 
if the most important work could end. Then life would 
be a descending climax, whereas life should be continuous 
enlargement. It should consist in ever-increasing meas- 
ures of strength and power. 

It will be helpful to consider : 

I. The reasons for seeking to secure an education; 
or it might be stated in this way: Why should young 
people go to college? 

I will first give important, but lower, considerations. 
I answer : 

I. Because all that have gone to college feel that it 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 211 

is time and money well spent. This is a case in which 
the testimony all seems to be on one side. Did you ever 
see a man or woman who had taken a college course who 
regretted it ? On the contrary, the regrets are all on the 
other side. Notice, too, this evidence comes from those 
who know most about it. It is the testimony, so to speak, 
of experts. Chauncey Depew says : "In my acquaintance 
with uneducated men who had acquired millions, I never 
met one who did not deeply regret his failure to secure 
an education and who would not willingly give up his 
fortune to be free from the mortification felt in the 
presence of educated people." Truly has the wise man 
said: **The merchandise of it is better than silver." 

In my own experience, I will say, I would not part 
with what my college course has given me for all the 
wealth of a Vanderbilt or Rockefeller. What would you 
take for what you already have, no matter how meager 
your attainments may be? Would you sell it for any 
price ? 

2. Because from a purely business standpoint it pays 
to go to college. Students in college receive instruction 
at a small part of the actual cost. This is the meaning 
of college endowment. Why should men put money into 
college endowment? Because it is the very best form 
of benevolent investment. It takes the raw material and 
so transforms it that its value to the world is many times 
increased. It multiplies the individual's powers many- 
fold. You get the additional power; somebody is sup- 
posed to get the benefit in large measure. You are sup- 
posed by virtue of your increased power to yield a richer, 
fuller, service, and this is the justification for bestowing 
on you these benefits. 

Here is the only place something very valuable can be 
had for nothing. There is no better bargain that a keen 



278 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

American boy or girl can make than to seize the oppor- 
tunity of securing an education. 

3. It also pays from the standpoint of bread-winning. 
Statistics show that college-bred men and women on an 
average earn 300 per cent, more than those who do not 
have a college education, but to keep entirely, within 
bounds, let us say 200 per cent, or a fraction over. Now 
let us consider a little problem in arithmetic : 

$1.50 equals the value of a day of uneducated labor. 

$1.50x300 equals $450, value of a year of uneducated 
labor. 

$450x40 equals $18,000, value of a life of uneducated 
labor. 

$1,000 equals the value of a year of educated labor. 

$1,000x40 equals $40,000, value of a life of educated 
labor. 

$40,000 minus $18,000 equals $22,000, which repre- 
sents the money value of education. This is an exceed- 
ingly conservative estimate. 

Some testimony along this line may be interesting: 

( 1 ) Horace Mann says : "As a rule, the earning 
power of the industrial classes rises as the percentage of 
illiteracy falls." 

(2) A certain census report shows the same thing. 
Nathan C. Shaeffer, Superintendent of the Census, says: 
"Give a youth the advantage of a high-school training 
and you have immensely multiplied his chances of suc- 
cess. Give him the benefit of a thorough college training, 
and you have given him the weapons which, if rightly 
used, will insure victory in fighting life's battles." 

(3), H. F. Kratz, superintendent of schools, Sioux 
City, S. D., after investigations in the West, says : "Even 
in the stirring West the college-bred man has multiplied 
his chances of success fifty times, and even in business 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 279 

pursuits a college training multiplies his chances of suc- 
cess about twenty-five times." 

(4) Professor Judson says of the college man: "He 
has ready command of the tool which every business 
man must use — his head. Higher education supplies both 
knowledge and power, and of these power is the most 
important. A business man's resources can not all be 
deposited in the bank. They include three separate 
things : What he has, what he is in himself, and the good 
opinion of his fellow-men." 

(5) A. E. Winship, editor of the Journal of Edu- 
cation, says : ''In a large house two men began on the 
same level, one a Yale graduate, and the other a mighty 
"bright boy from a New Hampshire farm, the genius of 
his native town. The latter was unquestionably the 
brighter boy, and he was well read, a self-trained scholar. 
The first promotion and the second came to the bright 
country youth. Then the college-trained man came up 
with him, passed him, distanced him, because he had 
vastly greater resources." 

(6) Ex-Mayor Strong said: 'Tf I had to choose be- 
tween two applicants for a position, the one a college- 
bred man, the other a smart young fellow with only a 
common-school education, I would engage the college 
graduate if he displayed an equal capacity for work." 

(7) Ex-Governor Flower said: 'T consider a college 
education the greatest boon that can fall to the lot of a 
boy endowed with a clever and active mind and a whole- 
some thirst for knowledge. I never felt the lack of a 
college education until I entered politics. I was then 
forty-five years old, and my endeavors to master the 
various subjects that came before me in the House or 
in the committee rooms of Congress were sadly ham- 
pered by my want of fundamental knowledge." 

(10) 



280 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

(8) Mr. Seligman, a Wall Street magnate, said: "In 
my business I prefer men who have had a college educa- 
tion. In every walk of life the necessity of higher edu- 
cation is becoming more and more apparent all the 
time." 

(9) Chauncey M. Depew said: ''American independ- 
ence and the founding of our nation upon constitutional 
lines, embodying the experience and the lessons of the 
ages, was the work of the graduates of the colonial col- 
leges. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and William 
and Mary were the architects of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, of the Constitution of the United States, and 
of the incomparable system of executive, legislative and 
judicial independence and interdependence which have 
survived so successfully fully a century of extraordinary 
trial and unprecedented development. Samuel Adams, in 
his Commencement thesis at Harvard, struck the keynote 
of colonial resistance. John Morin Scott brought from 
Yale to New York the lessons which prepared that rich 
and prosperous colony for the sacrifices of the Rebellion. 
Alexander Hamilton, a student of Columbia, though only 
seventeen years of age, educated the popular mind to the 
necessity of struggle ; while the pen of Jefferson, of 
William and Mary College, wrote that immortal docu- 
ment which lives and will live forever as the most com- 
plete charter of liberty. The best proof is to be found 
in the eminent success of those who have enjoyed it, in 
the higher walks of the professions, of statesmanship, of 
business." "Hundreds of college men have begun at the 
bottom in railroad work, and have soon distanced the 
uneducated boy and man." 

(10) A manager of a large insurance company said: 
"A boy can learn to measure tape or retail groceries with- 
out a college education, but for the management of men 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 281 

and the control of large enterprises, the more complete 
and thorough his training the more likely he is to be suc- 
cessful." 

(ii) It is significant that ''in a group of sixty-five 
graduates in New York can be found eighteen bankers, 
fifteen leading railroad managers, ten manufacturers, ten 
merchants, seven presidents of chief insurance companies 
and five conspicuous publishers." 

(12) C. W. Bardeau, editor and publisher, in an ad- 
dress says : ''Schools that pay good wages want college 
graduates, and though in New York graduates of the 
classical course in the normal schools begin at teachers 
on, a level with collegians, they do not rise so fast and 
their limit is much lower. Within a few years the col- 
lege graduate has become an important factor in the 
selection of woman teachers. They seem likely to as- 
sume virtual control of the best positions." 

(13) President Bashford says: "It is estimated that 
one person in fifteen hundred in the United States is a 
college graduate. Yet over 50 per cent, of the leading 
representatives of our Gk)vernment officials, Congress- 
men, Senators, Supreme Court judges and Presidents 
are drawn from this mere handful of our citizens. If 
we turn to the professions, the facts are still more 
striking. More than 70 per cent, of the leading clergy- 
men, lawyers, physicians and authors are college grad- 
uates." 

( 14) The Nation says : "Among the fifty-three Mas- 
sachusetts 'Immortals' whose names appear on the drum 
of the dome of the new House of Representatives in 
Boston are a large per cent, of graduates. Forty of the 
fifty-three men representing the highest attainments in 
civic life, the literature, art and science of Massachusetts 
since the coming of the Pilgrims were college men. 



282 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

Among them are such luminous names as Morse, Ban- 
croft, Prescott, Motley, Parkman, Emerson, Holmes, 
Lowell, Longfellow, Hawthorne, Bryant, Channing, 
Phillips Brooks, Jonathan Edwards, Choate, Webster, 
John Adams, John Q. Adams, Story, Wendell Phillips, 
Agassiz and Horace Mann. 

(15) President Thwing, after making careful exami- 
nation of fifteen thousand instances of men who have at- 
tained distinction, finds the proportion in favor of college 
men to be 250 to i. 

It is an interesting fact to note that every Chief 
Justice, with one exception, has been a college graduate, 
and more than two-thirds of the judges of the Supreme 
Court have been college graduates. Of the thirty-six 
Secretaries of State, twenty-eight were college bred. 
Our greatest poets, historians, philosophers and theo- 
logians represent, with hardly an exception, a college 
training. Of the twenty-three most eminent English 
authors of the present generation, all but two have been 
trained at the universities." 

(16) Prof. John Carleton Jones, in The Forum, says: 
"The one per cent, of college graduates in our male popu- 
lation of graduate age is furnishing 36 per cent, of the 
members of Congress, and has supplied 55 per cent, of 
the Presidents, 54.16 per cent, of the Vice-Presidents, 
nearly 55 per cent, of all the Cabinet officers, nearly 69 
per cent, of the Justices of the Supreme Court and 85.7 
per cent, of the Chief Justices." 

In England, practically all of the high places are filled 
by university-trained men, and in the United States this 
condition will prevail more and more as we grow in edu- 
cation and culture. 

4. The college-bred man is trained in the habit of 
sustained application and systematic work. This is the 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 283 

very essence of success. You will never be truly edu- 
cated until you have this power. 

5. Another important advantage of college life lies 
in the acquaintance formed. During the years you spend 
in college you will become acquainted with hundreds of 
young men and women who will be scattered throughout 
the world and will be leaders in their respective com- 
munities. Such friendships are invaluable. Hundreds 
of men have been placed in political office, in good busi- 
ness positions, in influential pulpits, in high educational 
places, by their college friends. Alice Freeman Palmer 
says : "I have forgotten my chemistry, and my classical 
philology can not bear examination ; but all round the 
world there are men and women at work, my intimates 
of college days, who have made the wide earth a friendly 
place to me. Of every creed, of every party, in far-away 
places and in near, the thought of them makes me more 
courageous in duty and more faithful to opportunity, 
though for many years we may not have had time to 
write each other a letter." 

We may well pass to the consideration of a few higher 
reasons : 

6. Because culture and character in the minds of the 
best people are more highly estimated than money. It 
can never be true in an enlightened community that 
people are esteemed according to their money. Money 
can never win a single heart; you will be loved for what 
you are, and not for what you have. The college has 
much to do with these higher essences of life. To 
mold character, produce culture, give knowledge, is the 
highest function of a college. It has been said: ''The 
real purpose of an education is not to make a living, but 
to make a life." 

7. Because education gives you the enduring things. 



284 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

The fire may destroy your bank or your store, the cyclone 
may sweep away your house, the hailstorm may beat 
down your crops, but these destroying agents can not 
reach your real possessions. Kingdoms may rise and 
fall, political parties may fight their battles over prin- 
ciples that may be forgotten to-morrow, but the prin- 
ciples of mathematics abide, the law that holds atoms to- 
gether never changes, the law of gravity will always hold 
good, the great thoughts of God and godlike men will 
survive the wreck of worlds. 

8. Because education enlarges life. The educated 
man lives more in the same length of time. His enjoy- 
ment is greatly intensified. The trees, the sky, the river, 
the brook, the bird, the flower, all speak to him in won- 
drous language. Truly he can say : "The heavens declare 
the glory of God." The loafer on the store-box, or the 
debauchee carousing at midnight, thinks he is having a 
good time. Poor soul, he does not know the meaning 
of real pleasure. He is selling his birthright for a mess 
of pottage. He is eating the husks that the swine have 
left. Education also continues real life to the farthest 
limit of old age. The old who are uneducated lament the 
departure of time ; they look back with longing, but the 
educated have a large stock in store for old age. 

9. Because true education is a great liberator and 
leveler. The educated man is being constantly expanded. 
He continually passes beyond all previous limitations. 
He throws off the shackles that bind. He discovers new 
worlds. His hunger continually expands. Larger life, 
more abundant life, is his ever-increasing inheritance. 
Then, too, he comes into a larger fellowship. The more 
man knows of the works of God, the closer he should 
come to God's crowning work. It is a shame for an 
educated man to be out of sympathy with the people. A 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 285 

college should be the most perfect democracy in the 
world. Here, as nowhere else, brains and character count 
against everything else. The poor boy has the same 
chance to win distinction as the rich. All this has a won- 
derfully leveling tendency. 

10. It gives direction to life. Many a life fails for 
lack of direction. This does not mean that there are 
many directions in which you may travel, the goal of 
some being good and of others being bad. This does not 
mean that there are many pathways in life in which you 
may travel, some leading to high and noble destiny, 
others to base and ignoble ends. In fact, there are only 
two general directions in which it is possible for man 
to go ; one is up and the other down, and you will travel 
either one direction or the other. You can not work on 
a dead level. You will be higher to-morrow than you 
are to-day, or lower. It is the province of education to 
set your face in the upward direction. The activities of 
life are many and varied. Some have a tendency to 
elevate, others to degrade; but, most of all, the spirit and 
motive with which the work is done determines the effect 
upon the worker and upon society, and here education 
does its highest work. Its true province is to beget in 
its subject the right spirit and implant worthiest motives. 
When this is thoroughly done, the true direction in life 
is determined and the highest destiny in life assured. 

11. It is a safeguard to mortals. This, however, is 
only true when the threefold character of education is 
recognized and realized. The physical, intellectual and 
moral natures of man must be co-ordinately developed to 
secure the highest results, and, if any part deserves par- 
ticular emphasis, it is the education of the moral nature. 
Morals have to do with the sensibilities, the feelings, the 
heart power, and this is the part that is most liable to 



286 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

be overlooked or neglected. In our higher institutions 
of learning the intellectual side of education is liable to 
be emphasized at the expense or neglect of the moral 
side, and especially is this true in schools where the sec- 
ular spirit dominates. I look upon the disposition to 
secularize education as one of the most dangerous ten- 
dencies of the present time. To correct these alarming 
tendencies furnishes ample justification for the Christian 
school. Experience shows that purely intellectual train- 
ing furnishes no safeguard to morals. 
II. The true educational process. 

1. There must of necessity be a high ideal. You will 
never shoot higher than you aim. You must have a true 
model. Herein Christian education is higher than any 
other. It gives us a perfect model. God's method in 
saving men consisted in giving them a model. This fact 
suggests the importance of good associations. 

2. The time factor must play an important part. It 
takes time to make a great man or woman. Somebody 
said: ''Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and. 
some have greatness thrust upon them." You can not be 
born great. The raw material may be good, but it takes 
time to shape and fashion it. You can not have greatness 
thrust upon you. Such greatness soon vanishes. It is 
a thing of to-day. The only real greatness is that which 
is achieved, and that takes time. Sometimes students 
ask: "How long will it take me to get an education?" 
That depends on what you want to do. It takes God a 
hundred years to make an oak-tree, a few weeks to make 
a pumpkin, and a mushroom will grow in a night. 

3. There must be continuity and backbone to your 
course. You can not be educated by studying all kinds 
of things in all kinds of ways. Have a strong line of 
work of some kind that runs through your course like 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 287 

a spinal column. True education is vertebrate in its 
nature. It can not be secured by pursuing a large num- 
ber of short, unrelated subjects. 

4. Form correct habits and tastes. First in import- 
ance are habits of study. You must learn to endure the 
hard grind of close and continued application. You 
must have hours of study upon which you allow nothing 
to encroach. You must learn to put yourself to work 
at the appointed time and hold yourself to your task. 
Cultivate the habit of neatness and accuracy in all your 
literary work. In the second place, personal neatness 
and cleanliness are matters of great importance. Sloven- 
liness in dress ill becomes a true student. Avoid every- 
thing that is immoral or vicious. Don't use intoxicants 
in any form, and deny yourself the use of narcotics. Re- 
frain from games of chance which lead to inexcusable 
waste of time. 

5. Do not attempt to specialize at the expense of dis- 
cipline. You need power first, knowledge afterwards. 
Do not think time is being wasted because you are not 
studying the thing you expect to use immediately and 
directly. You can not learn to preach by studying the 
ministerial studies alone. You can not become a lawyer, 
a doctor, by confining yourself to professional studies. 
You need to learn to think. You need the discipline of 
your powers, you need to acquire control of yourself. 
Discipline first, specialization afterward. 

III. We will consider some incidental, but impor- 
tant, matters. 

I. Do not allow pressure from any source to prevent 
you from completing your collegiate course. That such 
influences will be brought to bear upon you is more than 
probable. Opportunities for making money will present 
themselves, business openings will come to you. 



288 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

Many a young man has had a great future spoiled by 
the enticements of a bright present. Others will say to 
you that you have education enough ; that you are foolish 
to allow splendid opportunities to go by. Be not de- 
ceived ; he that continues steadfast to the end- has the 
promise of largest reward. The better your preparation 
is, the better will be your opportunities and the larger 
your achievements. The most important business of life 
is to get ready to live properly. The doing the work is 
not so important as the getting ready to do it. If the 
man is prepared, the work will be done, and if prepara- 
tion is lacking, the real work of life will be defeated or 
greatly impaired. 

2. Covet the love and respect of your fellow-students 
and of your teachers. It is a pity to have the unfavorable 
opinion of any man. The love and respect of the hum- 
blest man is a great treasure, and most of all is the good 
opinion of your teachers to be coveted. You will never 
again be associated with the same number of persons 
whose love and respect is of so much value as is theirs. 
To have the love of your teachers and fellow-students 
you must be respectful, kind, obliging, and refrain from 
all unkind and ungenerous acts. 

3. Do not allow the development of the physical na- 
ture to encroach upon the intellectual, and vice versa, 
and, above all, do not neglect spiritual development. 
Herein lurks a great danger. Some are so constituted 
that they take especial delight in physical sports. The 
gymnasium and the athletic field appeal to them very 
strongly. It is very easy for such persons to allow the 
physical side of their education to monopolize the whole 
field. On the other hand, some are naturally of a 
studious turn of mind. They find their keenest pleasures 
in intellectual exercise ; such are liable to sin against their 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 289 

physical natures. To maintain a proper balance is highly 
desirable. Let your education be based on a true analysis 
of yourself. Recognize that you are a threefold being, 
physical, intellectual and spiritual, and that the spiritual 
is the highest. 

4. Do not fail to avail yourselves of the advantages 
of literary societies. Dr. E. G. Robinson, formerly the 
president of Brown University, says : 'Tn direct educa- 
tion for the real work of life, no influences of my col- 
lege days were equal to those of the debating society. 
It called into use and fastened in my memory what 
I learned from text-books and in lecture-rooms ; it 
prompted the inquiries and investigations that otherwise 
would never have been made ; it stimulated to the ex- 
ercise of all my intellectual faculties as the set tasks of 
professors never could." 

5. Do not imagine that because you are a student you 
are under a different code of morals. It is not uncom- 
mon for students to do things of an immoral and almost 
of a criminal nature and imagine they should be excused 
because they are students. 

6. Do not contract needless debts, and pay what you 
owe. Never make a promise unless you are morally sure 
you can fulfill it, and, having made it, use your utmost 
endeavor to keep it. 

7. Also remember that what you receive places you in 
ever-increasing obligation to give back to your fellow- 
men, not at some distant time, but here and now. This 
means that you must not hesitate to make the largest 
demands on yourself. Give much, give your best. This 
is also a condition of growth. Do your best, and thus 
every day will be a better day than the previous day. 
Follow in the footsteps of Him who said, 'T came that 
they might have life, and have it abundantly," and, in 



290 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

order that they may have it abundantly, he gave Him- 
self. He died that men might live. So it must be with 
you. The great apostle to the Gentiles said: 'T die 
daily." This is the necessary thing — daily sacrifice, daily 
dying. He who saves his life shall lose it, but he who 
loses his life shall save it. 

8. Do not be ashamed of poverty. Abide cheerfully 
by its consequences. You will look back on your strug- 
gles with great satisfaction. We love to remember our 
hardships. It is no disgrace to wear threadbare clothes 
and wash dishes, if need be, to secure educational priv- 
ileges. Our Saviour was rich, yet for our sake he be- 
came poor that we, through his poverty, might be made 
rich. It may be hard to bear the sacrifice and jeers of 
the thoughtless young people who have never earned a 
dollar in their lives, but do not give up. Do not be dis- 
couraged. Do not incur expenses you can not afford for 
the sake of keeping up false appearances. Face a hard 
lot uncomplainingly, and struggle on. The reward is 
sure and rich. Again I repeat the words of the wise 
man: Seek wisdom; covet knowledge: "for the merchan- 
dise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the 
gain thereof is better than fine gold." 



SERMON XIII. 

Better is the End than the Be^innini 

Text. — Eccl. 7:8: "Better is the end of a thing than the be- 
gining thereof." 

1. One of the first things that every man should settle 
is the question of direction. The paths of life are drawn 
upon an inclined plane, and they all run up and down 
and never in a horizontal direction. It is not a question 
as to whether you will go or not. You must travel. You 
can not stand two successive hours in the same ^lace. 
It is not a question as to whether you will go up or 
down or in some other direction. There are only two 
directions. You must go up or you will go down. You 
can not travel horizontally. No roads have ever been 
laid out in that direction. The lines drawn on the sphere 
of life, to change the figure, are all meridians of longi- 
tude. 

2. It is also important to remember that in order to 
go up you must make a choice. You must decide to do 
so. To go down requires no such choice. Simply re- 
main passive and you will go down. You can float down 
the stream, but you must put forth your arms and take 
the oars and row if you would ascend the stream. That 
explains the cause of so many failures. It is so easy 
to drift. It is so easy to go to sleep. All Satan wants 
is to get you to sleep. 

3. These facts suggest the importance of an oc- 
casional survey of the situation. We should sometimes 
pause and take our bearings. We should turn our faces 

291 



292 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

backward for a minute and consider from whence we 
have come. We should also anticipate the future. To 
do this we must bear in mind that the future is deter- 
mined by definite, fixed laws. A great future is never 
the result of an accident. It is an effect following a 
cause. 

4. In view of all this, I hope we may so use this oc- 
casion that the great future will be better for all of us 
because of it. It is a fitting thing just at the opening 
of a school year for every one to take his bearings, and 
as a subject appropriate I have read this text: "Better is 
the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." 

I. The good of beginnings. Better is the compara- 
tive degree of good. If the end is better, the beginning 
is good. Such a beginning as you are now making is 
therefore good : 

1. Because it is indicative of courage. There is no 
room in this world for a coward. The cause of much 
failure is a lack of courage. It is a great thing for a 
young man or woman to dare to do something or under- 
take something. There are many hindrances that deter 
young people right in the beginning of life : financial 
obstacles, distrust of our own powers, inability to sever 
the sacred, tender ties of home, and many other obstacles, 
test the mettle of young people. It is a suggestive fact 
that Christianity lays down courage as the first stone on 
the foundation of faith. ''Add to your faith, courage, 
and to courage, knowledge." 

2. Because it is the necessary foundation of hope. 
There is no more blessed thing about youth than the 
element of hopefulness. The future looks bright to 
young people. Remember, however, that the future rests 
on the present. It is common for parents to expect much 
from their children ; but, having gone over the road, they 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 293 

know a great future must have a great foundation. 
Hence their sacrifice for you. 

3. Because it is the parent of great achievement. He 
who never starts in the race will never bear off the palm 
of victory. H you ever do anything great, it will be be- 
cause you have undertaken something and because you 
have made a beginning. I once visited a certain city 
located by the side of a river. I saw a company of men 
working down in a hole in the river. A few months after- 
wards I was there again, and I passed over a magnificent 
bridge. It rested on massive piers that stood on the bed- 
rock down beneath the current of the river. This great 
structure was the child of that beginning. When I saw 
the men down in the hole working in the mud it did not 
look much like the construction of a bridge, but it was 
fundamental work. 

4. Because, if it is neglected, it is all you will ever 
have. The greatest gifts of God are beginnings. Op- 
portunities to commence. God never gives harvests im- 
mediately. The past is gone in one sense. It can never 
be recalled. To every one this is serious, but it is less 
serious to a young man because of his possibilities. The 
future is not yours in a certain sense. To-morrow may 
never come for you. This moment is yours. If to-mor- 
row comes, it will be determined as to its character by 
the use you make of to-day. 

II. The larger good of endings. Endings are better 
than beginnings. 

I. Because they are the fruition of hope. No one 
w^ould start on a journey if he did not expect to reach 
his destination. No one would sow his field if he did 
not expect to reap his harvest. An ending inspires the 
individual to make a beginning. There is pleasure in 
starting, but there is greater joy in possession. 



294 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

2. Because endings are the reward of labor. My 
observation has led me to the conclusion that the average 
man is just as lazy as circumstances will allow him to 
be. Labor is not an end. It is not sought for its own 
sake. It has its reward. There is positively no room 
in this world for a lazy man. It is a law of God's great 
universe that every good thing is conditioned on labor. 
Everything in nature works — inorganic things and or- 
ganic as well. The animal, the tree, the flower — all must 
work. God has impressed the impulse on everything 
not controlled by reason. You can't keep a child stilL 
All irrational things have God's will impressed upon 
them. You can't keep the irrational animal from doing 
its appointed work. Strange that man should want to 
be lazy; besides, all labor has its reward, which should 
be a great incentive. It pays to work, and nothing else 
does pay. Because endings are themselves beginnings. 
You have come to one ending, but it brought you to a 
larger beginning. Soon you will come to another endings 
but it will be a larger beginning. Soon the end of life 
will come. May it be for all a larger beginning. 

III. The conditions on which the larger good majr 
be realized. 

I. A proper understanding of the highest good. Are 
you willing to take a poor article when you can have a 
good one? Are you willing to take anything less than 
the best when you can have the best? In order to have 
the best you must decide upon what it is. You can have 
whatever you really decide upon. Do not imagine the 
highest good lies in external things. Do not imagine it 
lies in acquiring knowledge. The highest good lies in 
service. Being, true manhood even, is for the sake of 
service, or, rather, it consists in service. 

So many fail to appreciate their real wants. They 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 295 

make no provision for heart powers. They neglect every 
means of growth. I meet many on the street every day 
who are not full men. They are fractions of men. Re- 
solve now, young people, that you will neglect no part of 
your being. Take care of your body, your mind and 
your heart. 

2. A proper use of present opportunities. Be careful 
or some of your best opportunities will escape. A chance 
to speak a kind word, do a kind act, read a good book, 
hear a good speech, is too precious to be lost. 

3. A realization of the importance of little things. 
Personal appearance is of much importance. Pay some 
attention to dress. Cleanliness and neatness have much 
to do with the question of success. But not least is the 
matter of personal habits. Do not use tobacco. Be on 
time; Jesus represented the door of heaven as being shut 
against those who were not on time. It is a sorry sight 
to see a man straggling along after the procession has 
passed. Do everything well ; be not satisfied till you have 
done your best. 

4. The possession of a patient spirit. Do not imagine 
great things can be had quickly. Yonder upon the 
heights stands an illustrious company. They are those 
whom men delight to honor. Their lives are a rich 
legacy to mankind. How did they reach their proud 
eminence? By patient continuance in well-doing. 

To-day you stand at the beginning of a great work — 
that of preparing for great living. Soon you will stand 
at the other end of the course. Does it look great to 
you? It does, or you would not be here. You are not 
deceived. It is great. A prepared man is a great being. 

Soon we will all stand at the end of the course of 
life. Will we be prepared for the greater existence be- 
yond? God grant that this may be so. 



SERMON XIV. 
How to Save the Soul* 

Text. — Matt. i6 : 24-27 : "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, 
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take 
up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life 
shall lose it : and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall 
find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole 
world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in ex- 
change for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the 
glory of his Father with his angels ; and then he shall reward 
every man according to his works." 

In this Scripture are * found important lessons that 
are helpful to all classes of workers, and especially 
students in college. 

The passage is often used as a basis for a discourse 
on the value of the soul, and this is no doubt a lawful 
use, but it is not the primary meaning. Jesus was not 
discoursing on the abstract value of the soul, but on a 
great principle of life. Incidentally, the value of the 
soul is brought to view in the passage, but it is not the 
primary idea. Christ himself was the man referred to 
here, and his own soul as set off against the world's 
value. Peter had just said, when told that Christ must 
go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things and be put 
to death : *'Be it far from thee, Lord ; this shall not be 
unto thee." 

Christ's language is based on this circumstance. 
Peter, in effect, said, Turn aside, escape the cruel fate ; 



*Many suggestions for this sermon were gathered from the 
"Things Concerning Himself," Parker, pp. 11-17. 
296 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 297 

but Christ replies, in substance, I came to do this work. 
This is the very end of my being, my very Hfe. This is 
the reason of my incarnation. What would it profit if 
I should gain the whole world and miss the true end of 
life? I would dishonor my Father, set at naught his 
plans and purposes, and thus lose my soul. 

The man who does not realize his intended destiny 
is an awful failure. He loses his life. 

I. Christ here discloses the great law of true 
life. 

1. He made duty and obligation the controlling force 
in all his actions. From this he refused to be turned 
aside. He kept his eye fixed on one point, and that the 
end for which he came. He realized he was here for 
a purpose. Whoever stood in the way was not a friend. 
Hence he said to Peter : ''Get thee behind me, Satan." 
Peter thought he was a friend. It is Satan's purpose to 
thwart the end of being. It is God's delight for us to 
fulfill the end of Hfe. 

The man who can not keep his eye on the Jerusalem 
of destiny loses his life. "What shall I say? Father, 
save me from this hour? But for this hour came I into 
the world." 

Everything must stand aside that would hinder us 
from accomplishing the end of life; friends, pleasures, 
secular interests — all must be put aside. How often, 
when duty beckons on to Jerusalem, pleasure or some 
other interest will say, "Not so ;" "Be it far from thee." 
Salvation lies in setting one's face in the Jerusalem di- 
rection. 

2. Here is the secret of success in enlisting others. 
Jesiis said: 'T must go up to Jerusalem;" "If any man 
will come after me." This is the true method. Do what 
you want others to do. Say, Come. Do you want your 



298 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

child to be a Christian? Then, lead the way. Do yoa 
want victory? Then, march in front. 

3. Questions of duty are never matters of expediency. 
Jesus did not say, ''Shall I go?" ''Ought I to go?" The 
first word is emphatic : "I must go." All questions of 
duty are matters of necessity. Never say, "Ought I?" 
or "Should I?" when duty is involved. It is always a 
question of "must." 

Christ did not wait to see who would follow. His 
voice, like a pleading angel, says, "If any man will come 
after me," yet he will go if no one follows. Duty never 
waits for the crowd. 

4. The end is different from the beginning. When 
the procession starts, we see Jesus at the head with the 
cross. All following have crosses. It is a strange pic- 
ture and one from which many turn away with disgust. 
Now stand with John and see the procession comings 
home. "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and 
whence came they? These are they who have come up 
through great tribulations, and have washed their robes 
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." This 
completes the picture. 

II. Christ not only shows the law of life, but re- 
veals its true philosophy. 

I. He teaches that false self -protection is self-de- 
struction. "Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it." 
These are marvelous words that are worthy of their 
divine source. Here is enunciated the profoundest truth. 
Inward peace must not 'be sacrificed to outward ease is 
the meaning. Man has, in truth, a double life. One life 
is outward, consisting of ease, comfort, pleasure, free- 
dom from the disagreeable. One life is inward, con- 
sisting of conscience, peace and the joy that results from 
duty done. Often to save the outward is to lose the 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 299 

inner. There are many examples that show this. In 
this case the outward Ufe said, '*Do not go up to Jeru- 
salem." The inward said, ''You must go." This is your 
real life, your very soul. Christ hesitated not. 

A lie might sometimes give us momentary rest, but 
it will lose for us the inward peace. To shirk a dis- 
agreeable duty might give temporary satisfaction, but it 
is a fatal mistake. Of what account is the outward if 
it be had at a sacrifice of the inward, which is the Ufe of 
the soul? 

2. The opposite truth also holds good. To sacrifice 
the outward is to secure the inward peace. ''Whosoever 
will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Nothing 
sacrificed on the altar of duty is lost. Life saved at 
sacrifice of duty is life lost. We see men every day 
whose lives are lost. They have surrendered the great 
and eternal for the small and temporary. Young men 
sell the true life for an hour of pleasure. Nor is this 
folly confined to youth. 

3. Jesus Christ always demonstrated his philosophy. 
He declared his truth by word and action. 

This, one may say, looks fine in the abstract, but it is 
either theory or fanaticism. Not so. Jesus did just what 
he said. He did not save his life in a small sense, and 
yet in a larger sense he did save it. 

4. To comprehend this philosophy, we must keep it in 
its proper relations. We are amazed at the manner in 
which Christ treated his own death. He spoke of it 
as one would speak of a journey, with calmness and 
serenity. It was not something to be avoided or shunned. 
Here is the secret. "To death he added his resurrec- 
tion."* "And be raised again the third day." "Weeping 



*Joseph Parker's words. 



300 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'' 
'*Our Hght afflictions are but for a moment;" glory lies 
beyond. "We look not at the things that are seen, but at 
the things that are not seen." Stop with death and the 
strongest may quake. Death itself is not an experience 
to be desired. To look into the eyes of loved ones and 
say farewell is not pleasant to contemplate. Put, by the 
side of this, resurrection, and how the prospect changes. 
Then when we say farewell, faith adds, 'Tt is only for 
a little time ; soon we shall meet again." 

''To the resurrection he added glory."* "The Son 
of man shall come in his glory." We will get frightened 
if we drag death out of its proper setting. Death is 
what its surroundings are. Take away resurrection and 
glory, and the grave is victor. 

"To glory he added kingdom.""^ Now, how does 
death look? We are cowards because we do not keep 
death in its proper perspective. We should never put 
death in front; put resurrection, glory and kingdom in 
front. Then we can be calm and serene in the presence 
of death. 

III. These principles apply first to Christ, but with 
equal truth and force to us all. 

I. What shall it profit if a man gain the whole world 
and lose his sight or hearing or health? He would reject 
all delights that earth could offer rather than part with 
these. Christ mounts to the highest contrast. He says 
in substance: "Would you give your soul for the whole 
world?" This is an awful thought! Eternity hangs in 
the balance. An immortal soul is pitted against a day's 
pleasure. This sounds like irony, yet it is done every 
day. Men turn their backs toward the Jerusalem of duty 



*Joseph Parker's words. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 301 

and destiny to escape a moment's pain. They give their 
souls for a small fraction of the world. 

2. The only course is in the crossward direction. We 
can't escape the cross. Some think to do it by escaping 
Christ, but Satan's cross is just as heavy, yea, heavier. 
Here is the truth: Either crucify self or others will do it. 
Christ said: '*I lay down my life." Whenever this is 
done, there is peace. If we refuse voluntary crucifixion, 
there will come an inward crucifixion which is more 
terrible. Young people, Christ here lays down the prin- 
ciples that govern true, earnest life. Will you not sacri- 
fice the outward for the inward? Will you not partake 
of Christ's sufferings that you may at last reign with 
him? 

I hope I have not spoken discouragingly, but, whether 
I have or not, this I do know, I have pointed out the 
pathway of true heroism, which, if followed, will lead 
to final glorious victory. 



SERMON XV. 

The Harvest is Past. A Cry of Victory or of 

Despair * 

Text. — Jer. 8 : 20 : "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, 
and we are not saved." 

1. This may seem like a strange text for a convo- 
cation sermon, but it should be kept in mind that man 
is kept in his true orbit by the two opposite forces of 
hope and fear. Hence God uses promises and threaten- 
ings to awaken hope and beget fear. Some want their 
gospel to be all promises and no threatenings, and some 
are so morbid in their tastes that they want nothing but 
threatenings ; but the Bible blends the two together in 
helpful combination. Warnings and threatenings, if they 
come at the right time, may be equally as advantageous 
as promises. The sentence, "The harvest is past," may 
be used to express exultation or despair, and may, there- 
fore, be used to encourage or warn men in any work, 
duty or avocation in life. It certainly may exert a help- 
ful influence, either of encouragement or warning, over 
students while in college, and the application to future 
conditions of life may be no less advantageous to them, 
since all of life lies before to be stimulated by hope or 
safeguarded by fear. 

2. We have in this language a wail of despair from 
the weeping prophet. God had dealt bountifully with 



*I am conscious of having gathered much of the thought of 
this sermon from various sources, but I am unable to cite any 
particular source, owing to lapse of memory. 
302 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 303 

Israel. Great and precious opportunities had been theirs. 
Opportunities had been lost and privileges abused. In- 
stead of being enriched with all spiritual good, they were 
''wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." 
In deepest agony he breaks out in bitter lamentation : 
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are 
not saved." 

This same language, saving the last clause, might 
have been uttered as a note of joyful exultation. Had 
Israel been true to her obligations, she would have been 
rich in all that makes a hope great. Had she made good 
use of her privileges, this same language might have 
sounded out a shout of victory. 

3. This language, therefore, is entirely appropriate 
for any one to use to express opposite states of feeling. 
It may express deepest regret, anguish or remorse. I 
know of no despair so utterly hopeless as that which 
comes from a sense of opportunities squandered. It 
may also express feelings of ecstasy, consciousness of 
rich harvests garnered. 

I. This language is applicable in one sense or an- 
other to young people just entering on the active duties 
of life. 

To such there is a harvest that is past. A harvest of 
preparation, rich and golden, is now gone. Parents and 
teachers have come bearing the sheaves of golden grain 
which should have been garnered. Many agencies for 
good ought to have produced wonderful effects. A 
harvest of discipline and training ought to have been 
reaped. The figure representing life as a battle is a true 
one. Before we enter upon it, we need to learn the tac- 
,tics. We need to learn obedience. Raw, undrilkd soldiers 
make a poor army. 

I. Consider a young man just entering life with a 



304 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

rich harvest of preparation carefully garnered. Lessons 
of parents and teachers have been heeded. All beneficent 
influences have been allowed full force. Life has as- 
sumed a serious aspect. Powers of mind and body have 
been trained, bad habits avoided and good habits formed. 
Such an one may exultantly shout : "The harvest is past." 
A thrill of joy vibrates in the words. 

2. Consider a young person entering life with all this 
harvest wasted. Parents and teachers have labored in 
vain. Church and Sunday-school have been neglected 
or despised. The discipline that comes from close ap- 
plication is utterly wanting. Bad habits have taken deep 
root. Such an one may well exclaim in bitterness : 
"The harvest is past." In it there is a note of eternal 
despair. 

II. Persons looking back over a life of business 
may use this language in one or the other sense. 

1. Consider, first, the man who has gained a com- 
petency by honest means. Honorable dealing has been 
his motto. He has no blood-stained dollars. No poor 
man has had to toil harder because of his prosperity. 
No widow has had less bread. His soul is not perjured, 
his hands are not stained, his friends have not been be- 
trayed. No suffering man has been turned away. With 
every increase in wealth his power for good has been 
correspondingly exercised. Such an one may say with 
satisfaction: "The harvest is past." 

2. Next consider him who has amassed a fortune by 
dishonest means. Selfishness has been his ruling passion. 
He has had no scruple against dishonesty, no sentiment 
or pity, no feeling of justice. Sad misfortune has never 
appealed to him. No friendship has been too sacred to^ 
be betrayed. No cause has been so noble as to enlist his 
help. In the judgment no one will say: "I was hungry 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 305 

and ye gave me meat." To such this language ought to 
come as a dagger to pierce his soul, 

III. To one even in trouble this language may have 
either of the two meanings. 

1. The man who meets with commercial disaster may 
use it in either sense. When fortune is swept away he 
may sit down in despair and say, *'The harvest is past ;" 
but this need not be the case. It may be a discipline. He 
may still say hopefully: "The harvest is past, but all is 
not lost." 

2. The person bereaved may give it two meanings. 
He may sit down in dark despair and say, **The harvest 
is past," or it may be borne cheerfully. 

Napoleon's marshals once came and said, "The battle 
is; lost." *Tt is only two o'clock," said he ; "there is time 
to win another." Roman policy brought victory out of 
defeat when, after the battle of Cannae, forty thousand 
soldiers lay dead on the field. 

There are some lessons we do well to consider : First, 
there is a lesson of hope. I may have lost one harvest, 
there may yet be another. Second, we should have some- 
thing death or disaster can not touch — clear conscience, 
clean character, righteousness, good name. These, noth- 
ing can destroy. 

IV. At the end of every year we may use this lan- 
guage in one or the other sense. 

I. Every year comes laden with joys and sorrows. It 
brings rich gifts. It is a vessel bearing blessings. The 
song of the harvest-home is a song of joy. I can re- 
member yet my feelings of boyhood ecstasy when the last 
load of grain was in the barn. What a thrill was in the 
shout: "The harvest is past." Such may be the shout of 
him who, looking back over a well-spent year, can see 
nothing left undone. 



306 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

2. How sad the dying year may be. A wasted year — 
sad, sad thought. A wasted day is sad. To such an one 
these words may come as a mournful dirge. 

The lesson to those in the dawn of life is very im- 
portant. The sun has scarcely more than risen. What 
shall be its setting? How will you use these words when 
*'the harvest is past"? 

V. To Christians who have had great opportunities 
for good this language has a possible double sense. 

1. Opportunities embraced. To-day you had an op- 
portunity to make some one glad — you embraced it; to- 
day, to speak some word, to sow some seed — you seized 
the opportunity ; to-day, to vindicate some one's character 
— you spoke the word. With what joy you can say: 
"The harvest is past." 

2. How easy to miss your chance. The occasion was 
too small, you say. There were some difficulties in the 
way and you failed. Then, what sorrow in the words: 
"The harvest is past." 

VI. To all who live to be old this language will 
have one or the other meaning. 

1. What can be half so sad as to look upon a life 
lived to no purpose — aimless and fruitless? Boyhood 
suffered to pass unimproved, manhood used to no pur- 
pose, opportunities neglected, children ruined by a bad 
example, wealth squandered on self, social position un- 
used for good, mental gifts despised. Now the end has 
come. What bitterness in the words : "The harvest is 
past." 

2. On some, old age rests like a crown of glory. Life 
has been an ascent. Everything has been used for high 
ends. Children have had noble teaching. Wealth has 
been used to make the world better. What a glorious 
thing is such an old age. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 307 

There is a double aspect to old age. It is pathetic : 
the timid step, the wonder in the eyes. How sad, you 
say. Yet how bright! The journey nearly done. The 
harvest richly garnered. 

VII. This language has one or the other of these 
meanings to every one at the end of every sermon. 

No man can be the same after a sermon as before. 
A Christian must be better or worse. A sinner is nearer 
the kingdom or farther away. 

Then, how solemn are preaching and hearing. The 
Christian ought to leave the church with feelings akin to 
those of the farmer after harvest. But with what dirge- 
like solemnity the words should come to him who is not 
a Christian. "The harvest is past." 

VIII. All, when they stand in the presence of 
death, will use these words in one or the other sense. 

1. Some questions are too great to be settled in one 
short hour, and that an unpropitious one. Whatever I 
may have to decide at death, I do not want the question 
of salvation to come up then. Whoever may stand at 
my couch, I do not want the specter of a wasted life to 
there appear. 

Neglected opportunities make a hard pillow. An 
empty life makes a barren prospect for eyes dim in death. 
Into the ears of such an one dark spirits will whisper 
frightful messages. 

2. How different the death-couch of a Christian. No 
grim specters there. No pillow of thorns. Life's setting 
sun casts a halo around his head and sweet peace fills his 
heart. Sweet music is wafted from angelic choirs. How 
joyously he can say : "The harvest is past." 

IX. To all when they wake in eternity this lan- 
guage will have one or the other meaning. 

I. Some profess to think that this life does not affect 



308 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

the next. Will John and Herod, Paul and Nero, the 
libertine and his victim, have the same destiny? My 
soul revolts at this. It needs no Bible to tell me this is 
false. What must be the feelings of one who goes out 
from such privileges as these to enter eternity ; such 
gracious opportunities neglected ; such privileges slighted. 
Now the last clock has struck ; the last bell rung ; the 
last chance gone. Oh the intolerable sadness in the 
words : "The harvest is past." 

2. How different all this may be : It makes me wild 
with delight to think of the glorious prospect. Is the 
cool water a delight to the man famishing with thirst? 
Is the couch grateful to a weary man? So will heaven 
be to the faithful worker. 

The hour of doom has not yet come to you. Your 
opportunity lies before. Make this your best year. Do 
not let the ''harvest-home" come and find your garner 
empty. So fill the year with diligent, blessed work and 
helpful ministry that at the end the words, ''The harvest 
is past," may be a shout of victory. 



SERMON XVI. 

The Most Deplorable Ignorance ^ 

Texts. — Ps. 19: 12: "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse 
thou me from secret faults." 

Eph. 4:17, 18: "This I say therefore, and testify in the 
Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in 
the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, 
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that 
is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." 

It is fitting that those who are about to enter upon a 
year of preparation for the duties and activities of the 
life on which they are soon to enter should receive some 
message of helpfulness that would enhance the value of 
their year's work and thus make them more efficient 
workers in the great busy world toward which they are 
fondly looking and wdiich awaits their coming and in- 
vites their assistance. Actuated by a desire to deliver 
a helpful message, I have decided to utter a word of 
warning and admonition concerning a form of ignorance 
that prevails that is as strange as it is deplorable. I 
call attention to the fact that: 

I. Man's ignorance of his moral condition is a gen- 
eral and an appalling fact. 

I. Of all ignorance that curses men, self-ignorance is 
the strangest, most disastrous and most culpable. Self- 
knowledge should have for us the greatest attraction. 



*I have an indistinct recollection that some thoughts in this 
sernion were suggested by a sermon in a volume of an English 
periodical called The Homilist, which is no longer in my posses- 
sion, but I can't be sure. 

309 



310 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

No field is so fruitful and no field is so accessible. It 
would be a strange thing for a man to live in the same 
house with another man for several years and never 
form his acquaintance, yet many do a stranger thing. 
They live with themselves a lifetime, and never form 
their own acquaintance. It would be considered a shame 
for a man to have in his possession a rare book for years 
and never open it, but many pursue this course with 
respect to acquiring knowledge of themselves. What 
would you think of a proprietor who would have a room 
full of exquisite productions of art and yet never enter 
the room? Yet this is what the man does who never ex- 
amines the wonders in his own soul. We reproach those 
who travel abroad and yet never have seen the wonders 
of their own land. Equally foolish is he who never be- 
comes acquainted with the things nearest at hand, the 
things concerning his own wonderful self. There is no 
barrier to prevent us from entering this field at any 
moment. The bridge of consciousness is soon crossed. 
Other studies require costly books and apparatus, but 
reflection is an instrument all may take up at any mo- 
ment. There is no excuse for self-ignorance. 

2. It is a strange and deplorable fact that knowledge 
of self seems to be least desirable. We are anxious to 
enter every other field, but we often consider time spent 
in acquiring self-knowledge wasted. We consider it a 
disgrace to be ignorant on other subjects, but never so 
consider ignorance of self, which is the greatest dis- 
grace of all. This is peculiarly true of the lack of knowl- 
edge of our moral nature. Defective knowledge at this 
point is the most common and also the most dangerous. 
It may be important to have physiological knowledge, 
but the lack may be supplied by the doctor's skill. It 
may be important to understand our intellectual nature. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 311 

but lack of knowledge may produce no worse conse- 
quences than self-conceit, although it is likely to prove 
much more serious. But when ignorance relates, not to 
the body, but to the soul, and not to the head, but to the 
heart, no language can exaggerate the danger. 

3. This text suggests that which all experience cor- 
roborates, that man's moral defects are the ones most 
likely to elude his scrutiny. There is a peculiar secrecy 
in sin. It affects the very organ by which it can be de- 
tected. Consumption often cheats its victim with de- 
lusive hopes. How much more sad to see one unaware of 
his spiritual disease. This self-concealing tendency of 
sin was no doubt in the Psalmist's mind when he uttered 
these words : *'Who can understand his errors ?" At 
least, he recognized that a great difficulty stood in the 
way. 

II. The reasons for this ignorance may profitably 
be considered. 

I. Sin can not be truly measured unless resisted. No 
man knows the strength of the evil in him till he resists 
its power. So long as sin reigns unopposed, it will be 
unobserved. So long as a man passively yields to the 
sway of evil principles, he knows not the power of them. 
Illustrations are abundant. Nature's most powerful 
agents do their work quietly when unopposed. The river 
moves quietly when not obstructed. The wind silently 
sweeps the plain when not resisted. So in the spiritual 
world : sin's power is revealed only when opposed. 
There is no agent more subtle or more potent than sin. 
In many hearts it reigns viewless as the wind, silent as 
the stream, yet withering as the June frost. Resistance 
alone discloses its power, but this is the only hope. Many 
a man longs to escape from its power, but wakes up 
too late, yet it is better to strive and fail than not to 
(11) 



312 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

strive at all. In this fact lies one great danger to which 
we expose ourselves by deferring our return to God. 
We may sin away our day of grace by allowing our 
power of resistance to be destroyed. This fact is 
based on profound psychological truth. Evil unopposed 
finally intrenches itself so firmly that it can not be dis- 
lodged. Few men in middle life or old age return to 
God. Does the infidel urge this against Christianity? 
He is a very short-sighted man. He does not know how 
man is made. He does not know himself. 

2. Another reason for the self -ignorance of the sin- 
ner is the fact that sin makes us afraid to know our- 
selves. The suspected existence of something wrong 
makes us shrink from investigation. This is a strange, 
thoiigh common, thing. Most persons know a little, and 
that little makes them afraid to know more. The de- 
lusive tranquility of ignorance is preferred to wholesome 
pain. This voluntary ignorance in this regard contrasts 
strangely with our conduct in other things. In business, 
men seek to know their exact condition. As regards the 
physical man, we want to know the worst. We are 
anxious for our friends, keenly alive to health, wealth 
and worldly condition. Why should we shrink from, 
knowing our moral condition? 

We can not pass through life without occasional 
glimpses of ourselves. The sick-bed may cause this, or 
worldly reverses may prompt us to look within. At 
such times, God, eternity, the soul, become very real. 
Sometimes a faithful presentation of truth may cause 
us to glance inward. A nobler, purer ideal may come 
before us, but the tendency is to crowd out such things. 
Agrippa said, ''Almost thou persuadest me to be a Chris- 
tian," but he overcame the impulse and died a wretched 
man. 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 313 

3. This self-ignorance may be accounted for by 
reason of the slow and gradual way in which sinful 
habits are formed. We are unconscious of the changes 
taking place every hour. We are not the same to-day 
as we were yesterday. If the transitions were more 
rapid, our attention would be arrested, but the slowness 
deceives us. However, a winter of the soul may come 
and spiritual decrepitude may creep upon us. The care- 
less man is gradually losing power. It is only a question 
of time till he is bound with cords he can not break. No 
soul is matured by broadly marked changes. This ac- 
counts for different degrees of evil. We find all grada- 
tions among men. The murderer was once an innocent 
babe. The changes in him, though marked to others, 
were so gradual as to be unperceived. The most hard- 
ened would be horrified had they reached their present 
condition by a single leap. I said the changes were slow. 
They are, after all, more rapid than we think. In a 
Western prison of 1,773 inmates, 1,672 were between 
the ages of sixteen and thirty-two. In an Eastern prison 
of 1,900 inmates, the average age was twenty- four. 

4. Another thing that tends greatly to increase the 
insensibility to sin in the soul is the fact that as char- 
acter gradually deteriorates there is a like deterioration 
of the standard by which we judge it. As sin grows, 
conscience declines in vigor. No man can refuse re- 
sponse to a single call of duty without great loss. By 
every act of disobedience we sin away something of the 
sensitiveness of conscience. Cold will finally become 
severe enough to freeze the mercury. The Bible speaks 
of some being given over to hardness of heart that they 
may believe a lie. 'Tt is impossible for those who were 
once enlightened and have once tasted of the heavenly 
gift, . . . and then fall away, to renew them again unto 



314 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

repentance." He who willingly extinguishes the light is 
guilty: he is responsible for the darkness. Voluntary 
ignorance is only an aggravation of the offense. To 
murder conscience is an awful crime. Can you con- 
template duty without any feeling of obligation to do it? 
Then tremble for your condition. Do not, I beseech 
you, trifle with the delicate thing called the soul, and 
still less with the moral faculty called conscience. 

III. The consequences of self-ignorance are ter- 
rible. 

1. The danger of self -ignorance is only equaled by 
its guilt. Of all enemies a secret enemy is the worst. 
Better the open adversary than the assassin. Better the 
precipice than the secret pitfall. Better the pain of 
curable disease than painless mortification. 

2. If our doom were inevitable, there would be some 
excuse for ignorance. The dying man need not be tor- 
mented with remedies. No need to describe the scaffold 
to the felon. He can not escape; why torment him? 
Not so here : no one need be lost : none are too sick for 
Christ to heal. 

"Ask the Saviour to help you — ; 
He will comfort and keep you." 

"Seek the Lord, for he may be found." If you die, it is 
because you dash the cup to the ground or neglect it. 

3. Time will come when knowledge of our condition 
will not be a matter of choice. The ignorance of self- 
forgetfulness is possible now. There will one day be 
an awful awakening. There are sad awakenings even 
in this world. It is sad to dream by night of vanished 
joys. It is sad for the criminal to awake from dreams 
of peace and innocence and joy and friends and home. 
More awful will be that awakening of the self-deluded 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 315 

from the dream of life, "when the fitful fevered dream 
is o'er." 

Will you not listen to the exhortation? "Awake, 
thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead." Turn your 
eyes inward and strive to know yourself. Will you 
not listen to that inner voice that speaks now so gently, 
but will one day speak in thunder tones of awful accusa- 
tion? Will you not hear the call, "Ho, every one that 
thirsteth"? Will you not hear the Saviour knock, and 
let him in ? There could be no better preparation for the 
work of the year that lies before than to answer to the 
Saviour's call. The sailor boy's dream is a forceftil 
illustration of the condition of many: 

"In slumbers of midnight the sailor boy lay. 

His hammock swung loose at the sport of the wind, 
While, watchworn and weary, his cares flew away. 
And visions of happiness danced o'er his mind." 

But while he slept the vessel took fire and he awoke 
only to perish. Will you sleep while your vessel is on 
fire? This figure is none too strong to picture the con- 
dition of those who willfully remain ignorant of their 
spiritual condition. I could make no better wish than 
that every student in this institution should enter into 
partnership with Jesus Christ, make him the Man of 
his counsel, prepare his lesson in the consciousness of his 
presence, and as a duty to him. This would be a guar- 
antee of largest results here and of highest usefulness 
hereafter. 



SERMON XVII. ' 
The Minuteness of the Divine Directions^ 

Text. — Deut. 22:6-8: "If a bird's nest chance to be before 
thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones 
or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, 
thou shalt not take the dam with the young : thou shalt surely let 
the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself ; that it 
may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. 
When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battle- 
ment for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house, if 
any man fall from thence." 

1. Do you say these are strange texts for a convo- 
cation sermon? Do you say, Is not instruction concern- 
ing birds' nests and battlements rather singular and ex- 
traordinary in a book claiming to be God's book? Men 
are anxious to know about the mysteries of the visible 
and invisible. Especially are they anxious to know more 
about the spiritual. Can we censure the infidel who says, 
Shall I regard instruction about birds' nests as a revela- 
tion from God ? Why does not God talk about important 
things always and everywhere? 

2. I am convinced that our small criticisms grow out 
of a narrow and inadequate view of the scope and mean- 
ing of God's instrutcions. There is danger that we lose 
the spiritual significance of God's instructions. Does 
some one say, Can there be any spiritual significance to 
instructions concerning birds' nests and banisters around 
a roof? I will try to answer this question by a study 



*For thoughts and phrases found in this sermon, see ParKer's 
'People's Bible," pp. 312-323. 
316 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 317 

of this passage, which contains lessons which will prove 
of great value to you, not only while you are students, 
but throughout life ; for, after all, the principles that 
should govern your actions while you are in college are 
of universal application. Student life is, in an important 
sense, a miniature copy of life in general. 

I. In this passage we have a vivid illustration of 
the minuteness of divine government. 

1. In fact, we have here the germ of a great argu- 
ment concerning God's carefulness. Does some one say, 
"I can not see the argument"? Then, here it is. If 
God is so careful of a bird's nest, will he not be propor- 
tionately careful of greater things? How did Christ use 
this fact? "If God so clothe the grass," will he not care 
for us? "Not a sparrow falls without his notice." If 
God is careful of birds' nests, what must be his care of 
human hearts and homes and destinies. 

2. Here is a divine lesson as to the .mportance of 
small details. It is not enough to keep the law in its 
great aspects. Herein we make a woeful mistake. We 
are constantly dividing up God's commands into the 
great and small, and imagine we can omit the small. It 
is the minute details of character that show the man. 
"Straws show which way the wind blows." God is 
careful in little things as well as great, and this gives 
us confidence in the great. When I see God's care for 
birds' nests, I feel like sitting down and singing, "It is 
well with my soul." This is reasoning a fortiori; that 
is, from the less to the greater, from the weak to the 
stronger. 

3. Let us also gather the lesson that dominion should 
be exercised in mercy. God gave man dominion over 
the fowls of the air, and yet he must exercise this in 
mercy. Power uncontrolled by kindness degenerates 



318 CONVOCATION SERM.ONS 

into despotism. No hand is fit to rule that is not moved 
by a heart of love. He who is not careful in little things 
will be careless in great things. 

II. The scope and application of the terms "right** 
and "wrong" are here disclosed. 

1. Do not let us think that "right" and "wrong"" 
only apply to the great concerns of life. Right and 
wrong are terms that belong to everything in life. There 
is a right and wrong way to deal even with a bird's nest. 
We may also do a right thing in a wrong way. We may 
speak a right word in a wrong tone. We may do a 
right act in a wrong manner. The morality of the Bible 
goes down to every root and fiber of life. In offering 
a salutation, in opening a door, in uttering a wish, in 
writing a letter, in every exercise of thought, there is a 
moral element present. Phoebe was to be received by 
Roman Christians, "as becometh saints." The Bible will 
not allow the odds and ends of life to be worn into a 
frazzle. Everything must be done properly. 

2. Here is the important truth. The treatment of a 
bird's nest is an indication of character. The act does 
not begin and end with itself. He who can wantonly 
destroy a bird's nest can do a hundred other cruel 
things. Men can not be cruel to birds and gentle to 
children. Men can not be cruel up to a given point and 
then begin to be merciful. Lincoln was once riding over 
a prairie and saw a hog fast in the mud. After he had 
gone on a mile he turned back to help it out of its 
trouble. This was the man God picked to write the 
Emancipation Proclamation. 

3. Do not forget, however, that a man may show a 
great inconsistency even in a right thing. I have seen 
men more careful of their horse than of their servant. 
I have known people to lavish more care on dogs than on 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 31& 

children. This kind of care is right in itself, but it is 
not prompted by love. Some men would not let a boy 
rob a bird's nest that would let a man rob his neighbor 
of his children by selling them strong drink. 

4. Here is a lesson I would have us learn and re- 
member. Kindness to the lower implies kindness to the 
higher. This is Christ's way of representing duty. He 
says, *'Are ye not better than sparrows or sheep?" Let 
us then grasp the spiritual significance of all this. As 
Christians we are not placed under a detailed law con- 
cerning birds' nests, because we have passed from the 
letter to the spirit. This letter is but the expression of 
the spirit of which we are supposed to have partaken. 
We do not spare birds' nests because we are prohibited 
by law, but from a higher motive. 

III. Another truth here disclosed is that men ought 
to prepare for great crises rather than for the average 
routine of life. 

I. ''When thou buildest a house, then thou shalt make 
a battlement for the roof." The roofs were made flat 
and persons walked on them, and hence the danger of 
falling off. I notice that such an instance might be ob- 
jected to on grounds that appear quite reasonable. Sup- 
pose, for instance, a man might say, "Surely I may please 
myself in building my house." How much silly nonsense 
do we hear along this line. I deny that a man is at 
liberty to simply please himself in anything. Suppose, 
again, a man should say, "I do not need a battlement, 
my neighbor only calls occasionally. The call is an ex- 
ceptional case." While this appears reasonable, it is in 
fact very fallacious. The provision and precaution are 
made for the exceptional case. We recognize the prin- 
ciple in building houses and preparing shelter. We build 
them with reference to the storm and extremes of heat 



320 CONVOCATION SERMONS 

and cold. We observe the same principle in construct- 
ing ships, bridges ; in fact, everything intrusted with life. 

2. Neither will it do for a man to say, I will wait 
tintil the crisis comes. We should learn that prevention 
is better than cure. Do not forget this. It is better to 
save a man from falling than to cure him afterward. 
We hear of the work of those who save drunkards justly 
glorified. Let me tell you a better thing to do. Prevent 
men from becoming drunkards. Make this of individual 
application. It is better to keep from forming a bad 
habit than to cure the habit when once formed, and it 
is much easier done. 

3. Let me emphasize the lesson that right requires 
the strong to be controlled by the necessities of the weak. 
Perhaps some one says, Ought not men to be able to take 
care of themselves? Perhaps, too, it may be urged that 
if we do too much for men, we make them careless. 
Here is the Bible doctrine. The strong should be con- 
trolled by the weak. You may walk on the house with- 
out a battlement — some other more careless may fall. 

IV. The higher Christian application of all this is 
very clear. 

1. If we are not allowed to build a house that will 
endanger others, are we allowed to build a life that will 
do so? Is there to be no battlement around our conduct? 
Are our habits to be formed without reference to the 
influence they may exert? What a shame to put up 
our stone and brick houses with fine battlements and 
have no battlements for our lives. Let us remember 
that others are watching us. There is nothing so con- 
tagious as bad example. Everything done should be 
done with reference to others. 

2. Ask, If God has given such minute directions for 
house-building, has he said nothing about life-building? 



CONVOCATION SERMONS 321 

Do we realize that God has given most elaborate in- 
structions for life-building? "With all thy getting, get 
wisdom." "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
wisdom." "Wisdom is the principal thing." "Seek first 
the kingdom of God." "Whosoever heareth these say- 
ings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise 
man that built his house upon a rock." Here is the 
foundation for a great life. God's book is a book of 
specifications for life-building, and there are none other 
worth the name. 

3. I must not omit to say, Do not leave the house 
unfinished. It is not enough to have some good rooms. 
No house is stronger than its weakest part. You want 
a complete house, finished through and through. How 
often we see lives only lacking in one or two things. 
Sometimes only the battlement is wanting. God help us 
to complete the structure, and, above all, to prepare the 
battlement. I appeal to every young man not a Chris- 
tian, who is here to-day, will you omit to build the only 
house that can survive time? Will you not undertake a 
structure after the divine model? Will not you build 
under the great Architect? Thus you will make your 
school life and your after life a great success. 



E. V. ZOLLARS' WORKS 



v. 



THE GREAT SALVATION 

Being a clear and concise presentation of the 
plan of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures, 
followed by a discussion of the plea of the disci- 
ples and Christian creed, or the creed that needs 
revision. 

"The Great Salvation" is one of the most valu- 
able books ever put out by a disciple of Christ. I 
have read and reread it with profit to myself and 
with gratitude to the author. — Peter Ainslie. 

"The Great Salvation" excels anything I know 
of the kind in the brotherhood. I do not see how 
any young man can start out to preach without 
devouring its contents. I am acquainted with 
every thought and chapter in the volume, and 
yet I am reading it again. — James Small. 

Cloth. 280 pages Postpaid, $1.00 

HEBREW PROPHECY 

This work has stood the test of the classroom, 
and is undoubtedly the best book extant on the 
study of the sacred prophets. It should be in the 
hands of every minister and every Bible teacher 
and student in the land. 

To read it is to love the prophecies better by 
more clearly understanding them. All who love the 
Bible will enjoy this book. — Frank H. Marshall. 

If the Bible student would have a clearer, 
fresher and more delightful understanding of 
prophecy and the prophets, let him read President 
Zollars' book. — Samuel H. Horne. 

Cloth, 224 pages Postpaid, $1.00 

THE WORD OF TRUTH 

VOLUME I. 

This book is devoted chiefly to the Pentateuch, 
and is divided into four parts — "The Bible as a 
Whole," "The Authorship of the Pentateuch," 
"The Book of Beginnings" and "The Separate 
Books of the Pentateuch." It is a book full of 
suggestions and of homiletic material. 

It is surprising to note how much of the fruit 
of long and patient study has been condensed into 
this little volume without impairing its quality 
and attractiveness. We have here the choice win- 
nowings of many pedagogical harvests, not only 



Vi: 



E. V. Zollars' Works—Continued 

free from chafif, but also from defective grain. 
— B. J. Radford. 

The work is strong and conservative in the true 
sense and adapted to the uneducated as well as 
the scholar. The layman need fear no tedious 
technicalities. Critical' questions have been handled 
in a waj' that they may be easily grasped by all. — 
M. M. Davis. 

Cloth, 352 pages Postpaid. $1.00 

THE COMMISSION EXECUTED 

This volume gives a chapter to each of the 
conversions recorded in the New Testament, and 
deals with these conversions in an analytical way, 
showing their entire agreement in the application 
of the law of pardon, together with special prac- 
tical lessons growing out of each. It abounds in 
valuable homiletic material, and will be found of 
great use, both to the evangelist and local preacher. 

A great book by one of our great authors, and 
ought to be in the hands of very disciple that 
loves the old paths and the old gospel plea. — 
Christian Courier. 

It is one of the best volumes of evangelistic 
sermons that it has been my privilege to examine. 
— P. H. Welshimer. 

Cloth, 318 pages Postpaid, $1.00 

THE KING OF KINGS 

This volume is devoted to the discussion of the 
divinity of our Lord. The argument is set forth 
from the standpoints of prophecy, miracle, the 
inner life of Christ, his teachings and the effects 
of the Christian system. It presents an unan- 
swerable argument for Christ's divinity, and will 
be found especially valuable at this time, when 
rationalistic views are being so persistently urged. 
It will make a valuable addition to the minister's 
library. 

The argument comes as near a demonstration 
as can well be accomplished in such a field of in- 
vestigation. — J. B. Brinet. 

I do not know of "^any recent work upon 
apologetics, or in the field of Christian evidence, 
that I would rather recommend to students. — 
E. C. Sanderson. 

Cloth, 292 pages Postpaid, $1.00 

^ 



The Standard Publishing Co., Cincinnati 



y 



Isaac Errett's Works 



EVENINGS WITH THE BIBLE-In 

this series of three vol- 
umes the method of study- 
ing that gave the author 
his mighty grasp of the 
Scriptures is found at 
work. The articles of 
which this splendid set of 
books is the outgrowth 
were prepared to be run 
serially in the Christian 
Standard. So prompt and 
hearty were commenda- 
tions that the author pur- 
sued the plan so far as 
to perfect these inimitable 
works. Set of three, 1,102 
pages, in cloth $3.00 

EVENINGS WITH THE NEW TESTA- 

MENT— (Same as Vol. III. of 
above set.) In paper cov- 
ers, 377 pages 75c. 

LIFE AND WRITINGS OF GEORGE 
EDWARD FLOWER— George Ed- 
ward Flower was a gifted 
man who it is said "never 
wrote a dull sentence or 
preached a dull sermon." 
When cut down before his 
time his family chose 
Isaac Errett as the one 
most fit to prepare and 
present his life and works. 
The book has 344 pages. 
It contains a sketch of the 
life and twenty-five ad- 
dresses of this remarkable 
man. The chapters are 
historical and biographical 
— the best fruit of a stu- 



d i o u s life. Price, in 
cloth $1.50 

LINSEY WOOLSEY AND OTHER AD- 
DRESSES— This is a volume 
of 362 pages. The ad- 
dresses contained in it are 
on various topics of peren- 
nial interest. They are 
historical, scientific, social, 
moral and religious ; and 
such is the delicacy of 
touch and ease of presen- 
tation that one feels as he 
reads that he is in an 
actual living presence. 
Price, in cloth $1.25 

LETTERS TO A YOUNG CHRISTIAN 

— A little volume of 176 
pages well suited to aid 
and guide those newly won 
to the gospel into a proper 
spiritual development. Pa- 
per, 25 cents; cloth... 60c. 

FIRST PRINCIPLES— A pamphlet 
of 110 pages setting forth 
in clearest manner the way 
of life as revealed in the 
Scriptures. Paper, 15 
cents ; cloth 50c. 

THE QUERISTS' DRAWER— By Isaac 
Errett. Arranged and 
edited by Z. T. Sweeney. 
A full discussion of diffi- 
cult subjects and passages 
of the Scriptures clearly 
explained by a great Bibli- 
cal writer. Now in its 
second thousand. Cloth. 
Pp. 335. Price $1.50 



The Standard Publishing Co., Cincinnati, 0. 



McGarvey's Works 



NEW COMMENTARY ON ACTS 
OF APOSTLES— This work 
is regarded by all who are 
acquainted with it as the 
best commentarj' ever writ- 
ten on Acts. It is written 
in the author's best style, 
and is the ripe fruit of 
thirty years' experience 
as Professor of Sacred His- 
tory. Pp. 298. Two vol- 
umes in one, postpaid. $1,50 

LANDS OF THE BIBLE— T h i s 

work is a real classic, and 
is an indispensable vol- 
ume for the careful Bible 
student who wants to know 
about the cities, localities 
and countries mentioned in 
Bible history. Part I. is a 
topographical and g e o - 
graphical description of 
Palestine. Part II. com- 
prises interesting and in- 
structive letters of travel 
in Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor 
and Greece. Pp. 624 . .$2.00 

E'VIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 

— This work includes two 
books ; namely, "The Text 
and the Canon" and "The 
Credibility and Inspiration 
of the Scriptures." The 
author's natural ability 
and ripe scholarship are 
apparent in this noble 
work. Pp. 223. Cloth. $1.50 

SERMONS— These sermons 

were delivered at the 

Broadway Christian Church, 

Louisville, Ky., and steno- 

. graphically reported. They 



are strong, scholarly and 
characteristic of the au- 
thor, and they deal with 
practical, vital themes that 
can not fail to interest 
every Bible reader. Pp. 
339. Handsomely bound 
in cloth $1.00 

THE AUTHORSHIP OF THE 
BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 

with its Bearings on the 
Higher Criticism of the 
Pentateuch. The most im- 
portant work of the kind 
that has been issued for 
many years. No man of our 
day was more thoroughly 
acquainted with the Bible 
and with the disputed 
questions involved. Pp. 
304. Cloth $1.50 

JESUS AND JONAH — Four 
parts compose the book : 
I. Review of a Symposium 
on Our Lord's Remarks 
Respecting Jonah. II. Re- 
view of Professor Driver 
on the Book of Jonah. III. 
Is the Book of Jonah In- 
credible? IV. The Three 
Days and the Three Nights. 
Pp. 72. Cloth 50c. 

SHORT ESSAYS IN BIBUCAL 
CRITICISM— The cream of 
eleven years' constant writ- 
ing on critical questions. 
No man had a wider 
knowledge of both sides of 
these questions, and none 
could compare in skill with 
this writer on these sub- 
jects. Pp.479. Cloth. $1.00 



The Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, O. 



O' 



"The Training of the Church" 

By S, S, Lappin 

THIS little book affords the schooling in those 
things of which no member of the church can 
afford to be ignorant, and which it was an important 
part of the apostolic church system to inculcate. It 
is based on the assumption that the church should be 
carefully taught the fundamentals of the faith, and 
its peculiar office is that of text-book for such train- 
ing. It is part of the enlargement of the teacher- 
training idea which has revolutionized our methods 
of church work, and affords to ministers and elders 
the means of training the members of the church for 
greatest efficiency. 

I do not know that either this generation or the 
next will rise up and canonize the writer for the 
service he has rendered, but he deserves it, in that 
he has dealt with every practical question of the 
church life. In that literature he has made a dis- 
tinct contribution. — Samuel W. Traum. 

I am sure that the church could do nothing better 
than to use it as a text-book for the mid-week prayer- 
meeting for nine months. It would be a liberal educa- 
tion for the church, and would leave every faithful 
student equipped for any work to which he might be 
called. The book deserves, and will receive, a large 
circulation. — M. M. Davis. 

If our preachers and elders will give to their 
members the information this book contains, it will 
result in increasing efficiency in all departments of 
the church. — J. H. MacNeill. 

144 paies; paper, 30c.; cloth, 50c. — each, postpaid. 



"The Eldership" 

By M, M, Davis 



A CLEAR and masterly exposition of the New 
■'^ Testament teaching on this important ofiice. No 
man who has occasion to serve in the capacity of elder 
can fail to have a more profound sense of responsi- 
bility, and a deeper purpose in its execution, from a 
study of this little work — admirable at once in its 
fullness and in its brevity. It would be a most valu- 
able text-book in a ministerial course. 

"The Eldership" is exactly in keeping with the 
teaching of the New Testament. It is certainly a 
great book, meeting a great need. — A. E. Dubber. 

It should be read by every elder of the church. 
— P. H. Welshimer. 

"The Eldership" ought to be read and studied 
by every elder and deacon who desires to discharge 
the full measure of his obligation to the church. A 
thirty-minute point study of that book a couple of 
times a month for awhile would bring almost any 
church board up to greater efficiency in service. — 
The Sala Co., Canton, O. 

Cloth, 60c., postpaid. 
The Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, O. 



,o 



MAR21 1913 



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